Overstrand Municipality has committed R2 472 306 (excluding VAT) for the emergency interventions at the Pearly Beach Water Treatment Works (WTW) to upgrade the treatment works and enable the works to treat the Koekemoer Dam water to SANS 0241 drinking water standards without the need to blend it with water from the Pearly Beach Dam.
The Pearly Beach WTW was originally designed to treat a blend of the Pearly Beach and Koekemoer Dam water, but because of the low water level in the Pearly Beach Dam, the existing process can’t cope with the treatment of the Koekemoer Dam water on its own. Challenging the treatment process even further, the colour of water in the Koekemoer Dam intensified substantially since the very wet winter of 2023.
The project to improve the treatment process with regards to only treating the Koekemoer Dam water, was already planned in the approved 2024/25 budget but had to be moved forward to the current financial year due to the very low level of the Pearly Beach Dam.
The Koekemoer Dam is currently 60% full and the Pearly Beach dam level is at 20%.
Water restrictions have been implemented in Pearly Beach from 19 February 2024 to reduce water demand from the Koekemoer and Pearly Beach dams. The co-operation of the Pearly Beach community to date appears to be excellent, as the water demand in February 2024 was already 25% less than in January 2024. The dam levels also appear to be stabilising to some extent.
The project for the upgrading of the treatment works has started and should be completed by the end of May 2024 if all goes according to plan.
The municipality has also started with Investigations into the feasibility of groundwater as a water source for Pearly Beach, with the aim to improve future water security and to reduce dependence on surface water only.
