AWARD Tech Report 45 Series Review of Environmental Water Requirements & Related Information for the Olifants Catchment Alison Joubert & Cate Brown March 2014 Acknowledgements The USAID: RESILIM-O project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under USAID/Southern Africa RESILIENCE IN THE LIMPOPO BASIN PROGRAM (RESILIM). The RESILIM-O project is implemented by the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), in collaboration with partners. Cooperative Agreement nr AID-674-A-13-00008. © Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD) Authors Alison Joubert & Cate Brown Southern Waters Ecological Research and Consulting CC. March 2014 Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD) P O Box 1919 Hoedspruit 1380 Limpopo, South Africa T 015-793 0503 W award.org.za Company Reg. No. 98/03011/08 Review of EWR & Related Information for the Olifants Basin Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 1 List of Figures ................................................................................................................ 4 List of Tables ................................................................................................................. 5 Acronyms ...................................................................................................................... 8 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 9 1.1 The RESILIM-O project ............................................................................................. 9 1.2 The RELIMI-O, S&EWR workpackage ............................................................................. 9 1.2.1 RELIMI-O, S&EWR activities .......................................................................... 10 1.2.2 RESILIM-O, S&EWR approach and data requirements ........................................... 10 1.3 Purpose of this report ............................................................................................. 12 1.4 General comments ................................................................................................. 13 2 Key processes, methods and concepts .......................................................................... 14 2.1 Environmental Water Requirements ............................................................................ 14 2.2 Water resource protection in South Africa .................................................................... 14 2.2.1 Classification ........................................................................................... 14 2.2.2 Management Class ..................................................................................... 15 2.2.3 Resource Quality Objectives ......................................................................... 16 2.2.4 The Reserve............................................................................................. 16 2.3 Water resource protection in Mozambique .................................................................... 17 2.4 Present Ecological Status ......................................................................................... 17 2.5 Indicators ............................................................................................................ 18 2.6 EWR methods used in South Africa ............................................................................. 18 2.6.1 Assessment levels ...................................................................................... 18 2.6.2 EWR assessment methods for rivers ................................................................ 19 3 DRIFT .................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 Summary of the DRIFT Process .................................................................................. 22 3.1.1 Indicators ............................................................................................... 22 3.1.2 Linked indicators ...................................................................................... 23 3.1.3 Response curves ....................................................................................... 23 3.1.4 Scoring system used ................................................................................... 25 3.2 The DRIFT-DSS ...................................................................................................... 28 4 Overview of the study area ....................................................................................... 30 4.1 Industry and demographics ....................................................................................... 32 4.1.1 South Africa ............................................................................................. 32 4.1.2 Mozambique ............................................................................................ 32 Review of EWR & Related Information for the Olifants Basin |1 4.2 Water use and related infrastructure .......................................................................... 33 4.2.1 South Africa ............................................................................................. 33 4.2.2 Mozambique ............................................................................................ 34 5 Previous EWR-related studies in the Olifants Basin ........................................................... 35 5.1 Desktop assessments of Present Ecological State ............................................................ 36 5.1.1 Results ................................................................................................... 37 5.2 River Health Programme (RHP) .................................................................................. 39 5.2.1 Results ................................................................................................... 39 5.3 Olifants Basin Comprehensive Reserve determination ..................................................... 39 5.3.1 Environmental Water Requirements ............................................................... 39 5.3.2 Dependence on ecosystems .......................................................................... 42 5.4 Dwars River Intermediate Reserve assessment ............................................................... 46 5.4.1 Environmental water requirements ................................................................ 46 5.4.2 Cost benefit analysis .................................................................................. 47 5.5 Rio dos Elefantes assessment .................................................................................... 49 5.5.1 EWR assessment results .............................................................................. 50 5.5.2 Social assessment ...................................................................................... 50 5.5.3 Scenarios ................................................................................................ 53 5.6 Ecosystem Goods and Services (EGSA) project ............................................................... 55 5.6.1 Results ................................................................................................... 57 5.7 Reconciliation study ............................................................................................... 57 5.7.1 Results ................................................................................................... 58 5.8 Classification (WRCS) 2011-2014 ................................................................................ 59 5.8.1 Environmental Water Requirements ............................................................... 60 5.8.2 Ecosystem services .................................................................................... 61 5.8.3 Scenarios ................................................................................................ 61 5.9 Overall summaries ................................................................................................. 64 5.10 Reports that will be used to generate the information listed in Table 1.2 ............................ 67 6 Approach to Activity 3 ............................................................................................. 69 6.1 Phase 1: Population and calibration of the DRIFT-DSS using existing EWRs ............................. 69 6.1.1 Select focus site ....................................................................................... 70 6.1.2 Collate all relevant information .................................................................... 70 6.1.3 Compile baseline daily flow records ............................................................... 70 6.1.4 Identify disciplines .................................................................................... 70 6.1.5 Identify indicators ..................................................................................... 70 6.1.6 Identify linked indicators ............................................................................. 70 6.1.7 Construct response curves to describe links ...................................................... 71 6.1.8 Construct daily flow sequences to match existing EWRs ....................................... 71 Review of EWR & Related Information for the Olifants Basin |2 6.1.9 Run flow sequences in DSS and compare with existing EWRs .................................