ISSN 0258-2244 September/October 2007 Volume 6 No 5 Designing Strong Bridges for Troubled Waters ISSN 0258-2244 July/August 2007 Volume 6 No 4 May/June 2007 Volume 6 No 3 ISSN 0258-2244 Subscription q Request/ Using algae to aid river health Use Water Equitable CMAs: Aiding q Renewal Contact Details Name:.............................................................................................................................. Company:........................................................................................................................ Designation:.................................................................................................................... Postal Address:................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................ 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The Water Wheel Tel: +27 (0) 12 330-0340 Fax: +27 (0) 12 331-2565 E-mail: [email protected] / www.wrc.org.za Physical address: Marumati Building, C/o Frederika & 18th Ave, Rietfontein, Pretoria... Postal address: Private Bag X03, Gezina, 0031 Table of contents LETTERS 4 UPFRONT 6 HYDROLOGY 12 ISSN 0258-2244 September/October 2007 Volume 6 No 5 Bridging scour knowledge through research WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 16 Start saving or start paying, report warns CONSERVATION 20 Poor decisions of the past may cost Cape its ‘living gold’ DESALINATION 24 Desalination no holy grail, says nature group Designing Strong Bridges for Troubled Waters WATER KIDZ 28 Cover: Research sheds light on Halting the scourge of desertification river scour. See page 12. THE LAST WORD 30 Gaining knowledge from open water THE WATER WHEEL is a two-monthly magazine on water and water research published by the South African Water Research Commission (WRC), a statutory organisation established in 1971 by Act of Parliament. Subscription is free. Material in this publication does not necessarily reflect the considered opinions of the members of the WRC, and may be copied with acknowledgement of source. Editorial offices: Water Research Commission, Private Bag X03, Gezina, 0031, Republic of South Africa. Tel (012) 330-9031. Fax (012) 331-2565. WRC Internet address: http://www.wrc.org.za Editor: Lani van Vuuren, E-mail: [email protected]; Editorial Secretary: Rina Human, E-mail: [email protected]; Layout: Drinie van Rensburg, E-mail: [email protected] The Water Wheel September/October 2007 Letters LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Catch in Catchment – 2010/11 to have all Catchment Manage- I know for a fact and acknowledge that Management ment Agencies (CMAs) established by the there already are people in the areas that have I never thought I would admit this. But it end of 2010 (the Soccer World Cup isn’t some of the skills needed to make this water would be very bad for my health to ignore it everything!) A third of the 19 CMAs have management model work. People who have any longer. I’m having sleepless nights over been established already. Which is a good lived in a specific area all his/her life, current work. Even worse: my ex-work. start. Put it together with the February 2007 Irrigation Boards and WUAs and knowledge- I write this letter as a passionate water Guidelines for the development of Catchment able community members that can contribute scientist, a tired writer and a proud citizen Management Strategies: Towards equity, immensely. of our beautiful country. While still at the efficiency and sustainability by DWAF and But somebody has to take these sup- Department of Water Affairs & Forestry you have a very good start. But now we are porting guidelines and help give direction to (DWAF), the water-worry already started. challenged with the Catch. these institutions. As much as DWAF would But it was only when I moved “outside” the It’s this catch in catchment management like to do that (I think), they do not have the hierarchy and politics that I realised there that keeps me awake at night. And I have capacity at all. However, they will probably are much more practical challenges in our no idea who are ‘we’, ‘they’ or ‘us’ in this continue to provide a supporting function country than in our wildest dreams. scenario. But we need to do something about where needed. From time to time we read/hear some this catch very urgently. Within the CMA (and We probably could go on a “brain gain” familiar clichés about water: “By the year the Advisory Committee, Catchment Man- campaign, but I reckon there is no need for 2080 we will run out of fresh water”, or agement Committee and Water User Asso- that. But there is one need that we MUST “make every drop count” and even “water is ciations) there will be positions for people address: the need to start providing these precious”. But somehow that goes in the one with specific expertise/knowledge/experi- water institutions with capable, function ear and out the other one… It’s time to wake ence/enthusiasm for the proper functioning specific water managers. An initiative that up. To start managing our water resources. of these institutions. There will be 19 CMAs. will basically ask just two questions: What DWAF has committed themselves in With even more committees. And yes, even skills/expertise will we need in our CMAs, their five-year Strategic Plan for 2006/06 more WUAs. WUAs? How can our tertiary institutions provide that? I’m positive that many of our universities and technikons are very close to equipping students with the relevant skills and knowledge. It just needs a bit of scrub- bing here and adding there. This might be a much bigger, concerted effort than it sounds like, but surely not impossible by a long shot. So what about practicing water managers that have almost forgotten about being a stu- dent? Luckily there are some of them around! With specifically designed short courses (and longer ones!) continuous education can equip any current water practitioners with specifically required skills to serve in these institutions or play a major supporting role. Unfortunately our potential ‘pool” of water practioners are – let’s say – quite shallow (not in mindset, but in numbers). Therefore the dire need and urgent drive needed for equipping future students with the skills we Letters must be addressed to The Editor and can be faxed to (012) 331-2565 or E-mailed to [email protected]. Letters are published at the editor’s discretion, and may be edited for length. Letters are strictly the opinion of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect the considered opinions of the members of the Water Wheel or the WRC. The Water Wheel September/October 2007 Letters need to make sure we give due support to our on the ground and roll down the hill; into the diatoms “cannot be relocated to a new river National Water Act. dry riverbed? or propagated as part of captive breeding What’s the use of having an impressive Marlese Nel, Cape Town programmes” is blatantly untrue. If it had pass-rate at a tertiary institution if we can’t not already been happening for millen- make an impressive impact on the outside? Diatoms can be alien too nia – before the emergence of the Bipedal Talk about job creation; here we have jobs Your article on diatoms being used in water Brachiating Ape – Dr Taylor’s distinction piling up with an opportunity to fill them with quality monitoring is informative and fasci- between endemic and cosmopolitan (a term competent, equipped people. Are we going to nating (Water Wheel May/June 2007). preferable to alien) would not make sense. catch this challenge, or will this ball just fall Unfortunately, Dr Taylor’s remark about Ben Dekker, Port St Johns Water Diary (Also see p 7) APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES industry, but require more information prior Aquafin; Tel: +32 3 450 4078; Fax: +32 3 SEPTEMBER 3-4 to investing. Enquiries: Tel: (046) 622-3690; 450 4444; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit: WISA is hosting an Appropriate Technologies Fax: (046) 622-4868; E-mail: info@aquaa- www.wrrs2007.org/ Conference at the BMW Pavilion Conference frica.co.za Centre, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. Enquir- BIOACCUMULATION SURVEYS ies: Taryn van Rooyen, Tel: (011) 463-5085; WASTEWATER REUSE OCTOBER 15-19 Fax: (011) 463-3265; E-mail: conference@ OCTOBER 9-12 The Department of Zoology at the University of soafrica.com The 6th IWA specialised conference on Johannesburg is offering a course on Monitor- Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse for Sus- ing Contaminant Levels in Freshwater Fish for AQUACULTURE tainability will be held in Antwerp, Belgium. Contaminant Bioaccumulation Surveys and OCTOBER 9-10 Themes include water reuse and the water Human