Joburg Water is about to embark on a massive project to link HurstHill and Northcliff reservoirs in a bid to provide a stable and reliable water supply for the City. The entity says the project is an urgent intervention aimed at resolving the poor water supply affecting the HurstHill 1 reservoir. The project is scheduled to start on Saturday, 1 April and will be undertaken by the entity’s Langlaagte Depot. After conducting the necessary modelling, the entity has determined that it is possible to link the HurstHill and Northcliff reservoirs so that the latter, which is stable and has enough bulk supply, can boost the struggling HurstHill 1 reservoir.
The project has been in the pipeline, but with water levels reaching critical levels, it is now a matter of urgency.
“We have put out an urgent Request for Quotation (RFQ) to address the HurstHill No. 1 reservoir distribution network. The situation of water supply has deteriorated to a level where the reservoir runs empty regularly due to Rand Water supply challenges,” says William Chitsa, Joburg Water’s General Manager for Capital Expenditure (Capex).
Chitsa adds that a site briefing for service providers has already happened.
He says the service provider would mainly support the internal Joburg Water team in undertaking “under-pressure” drilling on both ends to ensure compliance with associated environmental health and safety measures and certify that works are done in a safe manner.
“In order to improve water supply, a 315 mm diameter water pipe link must be installed between the existing 600 mm diameter and 450 mm diameter distribution steel pipes.
The link will be installed at the intersection of Long Road and Eighth Street in Newlands,” Chitsa explains.
The scope of work required is that of under-pressure drilling (which means doing tie-ins without closing the water supply) on both the existing 600-mm-diameter steel pipe on one side of the link pipe (along Long Road) and the existing 450-mm-diameter steel pipe on the other end of the link.
“It must be noted that Joburg Water’s operations team will install the link, which is approximately 20 metres of 315 mm diameter uPVC pipe and provide the 315 mm diameter and 250 mm diameter gate valves that will be required on both sides of the link,” he says.
Chitsa notes that the intervention is an interim measure from the entity’s infrastructure perspective to stabilise water supply in the Commando System, comprising Brixton, Crosby, and HurstHill.
The entity encourages residents to conserve water in whatever way they can.
Written by Nolwazi Dlamini
30/03/2023