by l3rato | Mar 29, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
Media statement
29 March 2023
Johannesburg Water embarks on urgent intervention to link Hurstill and Northcliff reservoirs to boost water supply
In efforts to resolve the poor water supply affecting the Hurstill 1 reservoir, Johannesburg Waterâs (JW) Langlaate Depot has embarked on an urgent intervention to resolve the poor water supply. The project is expected to start on Saturday, 1 April.
After conducting the necessary modelling, it was determined that it is possible to link the two systems so that the Northcliff reservoir â which is stable and has enough bulk supply â can boost the struggling Hurstill 1 reservoir.
âWe have put out an urgent Request For Quotation to address the Hurstill 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. A site briefing for service providers took place on Wednesday, 22 March,â said William Chitsa, Johannesburg Waterâs General Manager for Capex.
The service provider is mainly to support the internal JW team in undertaking âunder-pressureâ drilling on both ends and comply with the associated environmental, health and safety measures to ensure works are done in a safe manner.
âIn order to improve water supply, a 315mm diameter water pipe link has to be installed between the existing 600mm diameter and 450mm diameter distribution steel pipes. The link will be installed at the intersection of Long Road and Eighth Street in Newlands,â added Chitsa.
The scope required is that of âunder-pressureâ drilling (which means doing tie-ins without closing the water supply) on both the existing 600mm diameter steel pipe on one side of the link pipe (along Long Road) and also on the existing 450mm diameter steel pipe on the other end of the link.
It must be noted that JWâs operations team will install the link, which is approximately 20m 315 mm diameter uPVC pipe and provide the 315mm diameter and 250mm diameter gate valves that will be required on both sides of the link.
This intervention is an interim measure from JWâs infrastructure perspective, so that there will be stable and convenient water supply in the Commando System (comprising Brixton, Crosby and Hurstill).
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by l3rato | Mar 29, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
Media Statement
29 March 2023
Johannesburg Water: significant improvements over the last 24 hours
Johannesburg Water systems are performing much better this week after experiencing low water supply since last week and by Thursday, all the systems should be stabilised.
Overall, the reservoirs and towers have shown significant improvement over the last 24 hours and should be back to normal operations.
The Crown Gardens system has recovered fully compared to Tuesday. Parts of Robertsham, like the high-lying areas, are still experiencing low pressure, but as the system stabilises, the water supply will improve.
In the last 48 hours, the Commando system has been stable while enjoying an inflow of 2800 kilolitres per hour, which is an improvement from yesterdayâs 2600 kilolitres. Inflow at the Crosby reservoir is sitting at 0.62m with healthy inflows at 580 litres per second. This is because of Rand Waterâs Waterval 2 reservoir sitting at between 45 and 50%. The aim is to fill it up to 70%, which should assist the Crosby reservoir.
The Brixton reservoir is sitting at 2.6m, compared to Tuesdayâs 2.2m, with 239 litres of inflow per second. The reservoir has been stable for over 24 hours and by 10am on Wednesday, it had been opened to 100% capacity. This will help Jan Hofmeyer, Vrededorp, Mayfair West and surrounding areas with improved water supply.
The Hursthill system is still critical and experiencing low levels, with Hursthill 1 sitting at 0.74m with better inflows of 149 litres per second compared to yesterdayâs 121 litres per second. Hursthill 2 reservoir is sitting at 0.39m and is still experiencing low inflows with 105 litres per second. Historically, the Hursthill 2 reservoir inlet is lower than Hursthill 1, therefore there should be more inflow than Hursthill 1, which is currently not happening. Technical teams are investigating the cause behind this so that capacity can start building at the reservoirs. The aim is to fill the reservoirs to at least 1m â 1.5m storage capacity in both.
The Entity will continue supplying stationary and roaming tankers.
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by l3rato | Mar 28, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
Media Statement
28 March 2023
Normal operations resume at Johannesburg Waterâs Crown Gardens
As at Tuesday morning, 28 March, Johannesburg Waterâs Crown Gardens system had improved overnight.
Since opening the reservoir to 100%, the Entity has managed to sustain capacity. We experienced a positive trajectory in the last 12 to 18 hours and will continue monitoring the system. If the same positive patterns continue, with no interruptions to the system, normal operations should resume by Wednesday. Robertsham is also stable, except a few streets in the high-lying areas which will still be affected by poor pressure.
The Commando system (comprising Crosby, Brixton and Hursthill) showed progress after it had been struggling with water supply for the last week.
In the last 24 hours, the system has enjoyed an average flow of 2600 kilolitres of water inflows per hour, which meant that the Brixton reservoir could be kept open overnight. If these average inflows continue with no interruptions to the system, the Brixton reservoir can be opened at 100% and the system should go back to normal in the next four to five days. This will bring much-needed relief to Jan Hofmeyer residents and will allow for capacity to build at the Hursthill 2 system, which has been the most critical.
Ten roaming trucks and 12 stationary water tankers have been supplied to critical areas.
Normal operations resume at Johannesburg Waterâs Crown Gardens – Tues morning 28 March 2023 Water tanker sites of areas affected by the Eikenhof system pump failure – Tues 28 March 2023
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by l3rato | Mar 27, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
Media Statement
27 March 2023
Improvements continue at Johannesburg Waterâs critically affected sites
Johannesburg Waterâs Crown Gardens system, which was severely affected last week, continues to improve steadily. While the system is not yet back to optimal levels, the Entity is able to provide water flows throughout the day as inflows are coming in from Rand Water.
Although the water levels at the Crown Gardens towers have improved (tower 1 is at 4.7m and tower 2 is sitting at 4.5m) the reservoir is still struggling with 2.2m of water levels. The low-lying areas have water supply; however, the high-lying areas are getting low flows, with a few streets in Robertsham still experiencing no water. The reservoir has been opened at 100% and water supply will be monitored throughout the night.
On Monday morning, inflows from Rand Water were around 21 megalitres per day, which is above average (normal flows are 18 megalitres per day). If these flows continue, we anticipate we will be back to having normal flows by Tuesday. We have opened the Crown Gardens reservoir at 100%, and this will be monitored. If it holds, normal supply should resume from tomorrow.
Flows on the Commando system (which comprises Hursthill, Brixton and Crosby) have normalised and we are seeing flows of above 2500 megalitres per day; however, the Hursthill system is still not back to normal and is battling with capacity. Hursthill 1 is sitting at 0.5m while Hursthill 2 is almost empty at 0.2m. As a result, high-lying areas being fed by the reservoirs are getting intermittent to no water supply.
The Brixton system is stabilising, and the reservoir is opened at 50%. If these levels are constant, then there will not be a need to close the outlet overnight to build capacity. If this trajectory continues, the supply zones should start getting normal water flows by Tuesday.
The Alexander Park system is still battling and does not have normal flows. This system is situated at a higher altitude, so it is the last to recover historically. As a result, the Alexander Park high-lying zones are experiencing intermittent to no water supply.
The Entity continues to provide alternative water supply to residents with no water and poor water pressure, with 16 roaming water tankers and 12 stationary tankers deployed on Monday.
Improvements continue at Johannesburg Waterâs critically affected sites – Monday 27 March 2023
Water tanker sites of areas affected by the Eikenhof system pump failure – Monday 27 March 2023
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by l3rato | Mar 24, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
Media Statement
24 March 2023
Johannesburg Water continues providing alternative water supply while stabilising system
Johannesburg Water will continue providing alternative supply to areas with no water. This intervention will remain in place while the Entityâs technical teams work to stabilise the Cityâs systems.
Some of Johannesburg Waterâs infrastructure is finally slowly starting to steady after a week of consistent monitoring. The Cityâs systems were severely impacted this week after a power failure at Rand Waterâs Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant, as well as a pump failure at the bulk supplierâs Eikenhof pump station.
The Crown Gardens system is still critical with the reservoir at 1.6m, while both towers are still empty. No pumping can be done at this stage as the water levels are too low and can only resume when the levels get to 2.5m. The reservoir was monitored throughout the night for water flows into the reservoir, which started steadily increasing from 7am this morning.
Johannesburg Water is in communication with Rand Water and the bulk supplier is investigating its system to find the cause of the low water inflow from their infrastructure. Residents in these areas will have no water. However, Johannesburg Water continues to provide alternative supply.
The Commando system (which comprises the Brixton, Crosby, and Hursthill reservoirs and towers) is also still critical and is being closely monitored. Water levels at the Crosby reservoir dropped slightly from yesterday, however inflow was better at 558 litres per second. The reservoir was closed during the night to allow for inflow. The Brixton reservoir is also performing better than yesterday, and technicians are hoping to continue building capacity into the system. Reservoir levels at the Hursthill 1 and 2 reservoirs are still low, but inflows are improving.
The Alan Manor and Naturena reservoir levels have increased and are back to normal operations, while the Honeydew reservoir is also slowly gaining momentum, although high-lying areas might still experience poor water pressure. Boschkop is performing better than yesterday and is also on its way back to normal operation.
In Johannesburg Central, the Yeoville reservoir has maintained its levels and both its pumps are running smoothly for the second day in a row, while the water levels at Alexander Park have improved. Capacity is steadily building up at both these systems and residents should have sufficient water to sustain them.
The Entity continues to provide alternative water supply, with 17 roaming water tankers being deployed on Friday to service critical areas. Five of the ten water tankers that were roaming in the Honeydew and Boschkop areas will be moved to service the Crown Gardens zones, which remain critical.
The Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa Mother and Child hospitalsâ water supply remains at full capacity.
Johannesburg Water technical teams continue to monitor the system and further updates will be provided to customers.
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by Teboho | Mar 23, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
Johannesburg Water will be providing 18 water tankers to heavily impacted areas around the City.
The Entityâs systems have been struggling to recover from a pump failure at Rand Waterâs Eikenhof pump station earlier this week.
On a positive note, Rand Water managed to repair the air valve that was vandalised on Wednesday. As a result, pumping at the Yeoville reservoir resumed just before 8am on Thursday and by mid-morning, the water levels were sitting at 5.73m. The reservoir currently has two pumps operating and water supply to high-lying areas should start improving by the afternoon.
Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital water levels are full, while the Helen Joseph Hospital system is at 75% and the water flow into the hospital remains strong.
Most systems, such as Eagles Nest, Alan Manor and Naturena, are showing steady improvement, while the Commando system (which comprises the Brixton, Crosby, and Hursthill reservoirs and towers) remains the same as yesterday but is at least not deteriorating. However, the Hursthill 2 and the Brixton reservoirs are still critical.
Because the Weltevredenpark reservoir is recovering â it is currently 62.35% full â this will help sustain water levels at the Waterval 2 reservoir, which feeds into the Commando system.
If there are no unplanned interruptions to the system overnight, then there should be improved water levels by Friday.
The Honeydew and Boschkop reservoirs are performing better than Wednesday, with both systems sitting at 0.42m and 1.57m respectively. As the Weltevredenpark reservoir improves, then the two systems will also improve. Furthermore, the Cosmo City reservoir (which is currently at 2.02m) inlet was closed overnight and opened at 7.30 am on Thursday morning to assist Honeydew and Boschkop. Ten mobile water trucks have been provided for the Honeydew and Boshkop areas.
The Crown Gardens reservoir is currently sitting at 0.92m, tower 1 is at 2.01m, and tower 2 is at 1.81m, making the levels critical at this stage. Inflow suddenly stopped on Wednesday afternoon and technicians are investigating the reasons into this. Alternative water supply will be provided.
Johannesburg Water technical teams continue to monitor the system and further updates will be provided to customers.
See Water Tanker sites
Ends
Issued by: Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
For further enquiries:
Nolwazi Dhlamini
External Communication Officer
Email:Â nolwazi.dhlamini@jwater.co.za
Tel: 011 688 6627
