Chapter 7: Baseline Environment 7 DESCRIPTION OF THE BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 7.2 Introduction This section provides a description of the baseline environment in the study area, in terms of biophysical and socio-economic environmental factors, those which could potentially be directly or indirectly affected by the project, or which could themselves, affect the proposed project. The majority of this information has been extracted from the specialist studies that have informed the EIA phase of this study. 7.2 General Study Area 7.2.1 Regional context The study area is located in the western portion of the Breede River Valley of the Western Cape Province. The area is part of both the Witzenberg Local Municipality (WLM) and the greater Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM) and lies in the western part of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR). Figure 7.1: Location of proposed Wolseley WEF Major mountain ranges cover the area, including Cederberg, Koue Bokkeveld, Groot Winterhoek, Skurweberg (north and south), and the northern part of the Hex River range. It is also characterized by four valleys, namely the Koue Bokkeveld, Ceres, Achter, Witzenberg, and northern Breede River (Tulbagh to Rawsonville) Valleys, Wolseley Wind Farm EIA 7-1 March 2013 Final EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Environment which are drainage basins for several rivers in the area and potential wetland conditions. Due to extensive agriculture in the area, much of the land has been degraded and as a result, there is a lack of wetland systems in the valleys. Given its location in the CFR, the greater area is generally highly sensitive and of conservation importance due to its unique biodiversity and endemism. The development potential within the towns in the Witzenberg region is varied, characterized by low to medium economic growth potential. Human needs were generally within the medium category. Of the towns, Ceres has the highest economic potential, classified as medium human needs category with medium development potential. On the other hand, Op-Die-Berg has been classified in the low human needs category, with medium to low development potential. Wolseley has been classified in the medium human needs category, with medium to low development potential, while Tulbagh has been classified in the medium human needs category, with low to medium development potential. Tulbagh is considered an established tourist destination, linking to other tourist sites such as Bainskloof to the south of the site and Mitchells Pass to the north. Both mountain passes are recognized as well known scenic routes. Tourism is a key component to future development of the area. The dominant land use in the area is agriculture, mainly vineyards and deciduous fruit orchards. Old agricultural lands and some indigenous vegetation occur along the railway lines as well as numerous stands of windbreaks of blue gum and pine trees in the valley. 7.2.2 Administrative context In administrative terms, the proposed site is located in the extreme south-western part of the Witzenberg Local Municipality (Figure 7.2), which is one of the six LMs that comprise the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM). The administrative headquarters of the CWDM and the WLM are located in Stellenbosch and Ceres, respectively. The other five LMs in the CWDM are the Drakenstein LM, Stellenbosch LM, Breede Valley LM, Langeberg LM, and Cape Winelands District Management Area. Wolseley Wind Farm EIA 7-2 March 2013 Final EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Environment Figure 7.2: Witzenberg Local Municipality (LM) Source: http://www.westerncape.gov.za 7.2.3 Road network The WEF site is located adjacent to the R43 which constitutes the main link between the regional centre of Worcester and the Wolseley, Tulbagh and Ceres Valleys and associated towns (via the R46), and has been identified as a component of the West Coast Link Corridor in the 2012 Witzenberg Draft SDF. The R43 is also the most direct route to the study area from Cape Town (via the N1 and the Huguenot tunnel). A number of existing access roads link the R43 to the WEF site. These include the De Liefde Road, which provides primary access to the Dwarsrivier Correctional Facility (CF), Mountain Ridge Estate, a number of farm houses on the site, as well as the De Vierde Liefde residential/ conservation estate. The R43 is currently in the process of being extensively upgraded (included widened and realigned in places). The R301 (Bainkloof Pass Road) provides a direct link to Wellington from the R43 (near Bergsig Estate). The R301 is aligned along western bank of the Witrivier which forms a scenic gorge through the Limietberge/ Slanghoekberge Mountains. The Bainskloof Pass is widely recognised for its scenic beauty. The majority of the Bainkloof Pass is screened from the WEF site by intervening mountainous terrain. Wolseley Wind Farm EIA 7-3 March 2013 Final EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Environment WOLSELEY WEF R43 N1 R46 R44 R301 Figure 7.3: Study area road network The R44/ R46 provide an alternative route from Cape Town to the Ceres, and represents the most direct route to the N7 and the Port of Saldanha. The R44/ R46 experiences relatively high volumes of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic, mainly associated with traffic between the N1 and the Swartland and Saldanha. The R46 includes two scenic passes along the stretch between Gouda and Ceres, namely the Nuwekloof pass east of Gouda, and the Mitchell’s Pass south of Ceres. The approximate distances (by most direct road link) of the WEF site (around Romansrivier area) from major towns in the area are provided in Table 7.1 below. As indicated, the site is within <1 hour drive from a number of key towns in the Cape Winelands, including Wolseley, Tulbagh, Ceres, Worcester, Paarl and Wellington. This would theoretically enable most of the envisaged project construction labor force to overnight at home, or towns with sufficient established accommodation infrastructure/ facilities, which may not be available in Wolseley itself. Table7.1: Wolseley WEF site in relation to towns in the region Direct route Approximate distance Wolseley Voortrekker rd/ R43 ~ 5.3 km Tulbagh R46/ Voortrekker rd/ R43 ~ 25 km Ceres R46/ R43 ~ 15-20 km Worcester R43 ~35 km Wellington R301 ~30-40 km Paarl N1/ Slanghoek rd ~45 km Wolseley Wind Farm EIA 7-4 March 2013 Final EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Environment 7.3 Biophysical Environment 7.3.1 Topography The site is situated in the Tulbagh Valley, (270m to 290m amsl) undulates gently and has been intensely cultivated. North-south orientated mountain ranges on the eastern and western side run the length of the site and beyond and add considerable scenic value to the location by virtue of their scale and ruggedness. The mountains were formed during the Late Proterozoic to Cambrian Saldania ‘mountain building event’. The valley is bounded on the eastern side by the Groot Winterhoek range that rises at its highest point to just over 200 m above the valley and in the west by the Waaihoekberge/Hawequas range that rises to approximately 700 m amsl. Beyond the latter range, to the west, lies the coastal plain and the Swartland, with settlements such as Malmesbury, Darling and Morreesburg. Beyond the Groot Winterhoek range to the east lies the Ceres Valley. From the site, the valley continues in a south- easterly direction to Worcester and beyond. The valley floor was the original bed of the river which is now displaced through erosion to the west side of the valley. There are two mountain passes through the Hawequas / Elandsberg and Witzenberg Mountains in the vicinity of the site. On the north-eastern side of the site, the upper reaches of the Breede River has cut through the Witzenberg Range from Ceres. Michell’s Pass is constructed through this valley and connects the Ceres Valley to Wolseley. To the south of the site, Bainskloof Pass follows the course of the Witte River between Wolseley and Wellington. 7.3.2 Climate The study area is ±75 km from the nearest coastline (Atlantic Ocean) and situated in an inland valley surrounded by high mountain ranges. This results in a continental climate with orographic rain induced by the mountain ranges. The winter rainfall map in Figure 7.5 suggests a winter rainfall variation between 400 mm and 500 mm in the study area. This correlates well with the rainfall record at the nearby La Plaisante weather station (±2 km north) which indicates a rainfall of 455 mm between April and September. The area receives almost 80% of its annual rainfall during the winter months, bringing the total annual rainfall to 572 mm, while the A-pan evaporation amounts to 2013 mm per annum. The warmest months are January and February with an average maximum temperature of 30.5°C and 30.4°C respectively, when average highest maximum temperatures above 37°C can also be expected. Temperatures above 40°C are not uncommon during heat wave events. The coldest months are July and August at average minimum temperatures of 6.6°C and 7.0°C, respectively. Lowest average minimums are 1.2°C and 1.6°C respectively with the extreme low at -1.7°C. Light frost does occur infrequently, but is expected to be limited to the low laying areas. The highest wind incidence is during the summer months from October to March, when the average wind speed is moderately high at 6.5 km/h. Wolseley Wind Farm EIA 7-5 March 2013 Final EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Environment Figure 7.4: Rainfall and evaporation as recorded at the La Plaisante weather station The figure below clearly indicates the orographic effect on the spatial distribution of the annual winter rainfall in this part of the Western Cape, leading to winter rainfall figures above 500 mm closer to the mountain ranges, whilst the rainfall at the site is ±450 mm.