During November 2023, Overstrand Municipality was given environmental authorisation for a project to explore augmentation of the groundwater supply for the Greater Hermanus area. The Municipality is currently busy with exploration drilling in the Hemel-en-Aarde wellfields near Hermanus.
The main purpose of the current augmentation project is to utilise more of the full potential of the approved water use licenses for the wellfields, thereby reducing dependence on the De Bos Dam.
Two boreholes have been drilled, one 200m deep in the Camphill wellfield and the other to a depth of 179m in the Volmoed wellfield.
Initial indications are that above average yields should be possible from these boreholes. The second borehole mentioned above yielded close to 50l/s, however, this is expected to drop as the pressures stabilise. Detailed test-pumping will be done during March 2024 at different flow rates followed by constant rate discharge tests to determine the sustainable yields of the boreholes.
Pending the test results, borehole designs can be finalised, and electricity supply, connector pipelines, pumps and other equipment procured and installed, and the new boreholes registered with the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The Municipality’s groundwater abstraction is monitored continuously and reported on to the regulatory authorities and the Hermanus Monitoring Committee on a six-monthly basis.
Hermanus is currently supplied with bulk water from the De Bos Dam, as well as the Gateway wellfield and the Camphill and Volmoed wellfields in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
