Johannesburg Water’s systems experience reduction in water flow due to pump failure at Eikenhof

by Teboho | Mar 22, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement

Johannesburg Water’s technical team is working around-the-clock to get the Entity’s systems back on track.

This is after Johannesburg Water’s infrastructure experienced a five-hour reduced flow into the Commando, Crown Gardens and Eagles Nest systems.  This was due to a pump failure at Rand Water’s Eikenhof system on Tuesday night, 21 March 2023. Although the pump failure lasted for only two hours, 200 megalitres of water was lost, and water flow got back to normal at only 1am on Wednesday, 22 March 2023.

As a result, various Johannesburg Water systems have been impacted, including Region B, C, F, and small portions of Region D, which comprise the following systems: Commando (comprising the Brixton, Hursthill and Crosby reservoirs and towers), Crown Gardens, Eagles Nest, Naturena, Alan Manor, parts of Soweto, and Roodepoort.

As at Wednesday morning, 22 March, the reservoir and tower levels are as follows:

Commando system

1. The Crosby reservoir is 0.32m full and inflows are at 512 litres of water per second, compared to 526 litres per second on Tuesday.
2. The Brixton reservoir is 2.24m full compared to Tuesday’s 1.86m, and the tower is sitting at 1.34m full. Today, 188 litres per second are pumping into the reservoir compared to Tuesday’s 193 litres per second.
3. The Hursthill 1 reservoir remains the same at 0.61m, with only 71 litres of water pumping per second, while Hursthill 2 is at 0.45m with 120 litres per second. These are still at critically low levels and Johannesburg Water teams are working consistently to improve water supply.

The Crown Gardens reservoir water levels remain consistent, with measurements sitting at 2.25m, compared to Tuesday’s 2.26m. Tower 1 has improved since Tuesday and is now sitting at 4.74m and tower 2 is at 4.45m. The reservoir is currently open at 50% capacity.

The Eagles Nest reservoir 1 dropped to 0.31m compared to yesterday’s 1.61m, while reservoir 2 is now empty compared to Tuesday’s 1.22m. Alan Manor is at 4.55m while Naturena is at 1.51m. The Waterval tower dropped to 5.37m, while Quellerina is sitting at 2.58m.

The Linden tower water levels are at 3.24m; Yeoville is 2.40m, the Alexander reservoir is at 2.16m; the Honeydew reservoir is at 0.31m, Boschkop reservoir at 0.1m, while the Cosmo City reservoir is at 7.34m.

Johannesburg Water continues to provide alternative water supply as the demand escalates. The Entity is working on increasing the number of water tankers on the ground.

Johannesburg Water’s technical team is working tirelessly to resolve the challenges.

Further updates will be communicated with customers.

Issued by: Johannesburg Water Marketing and Communication.

For further enquiries:

Nolwazi Dhlamini

External Communication Officer

Email: nolwazi.dhlamini@jwater.co.za

Cell: 078 606 5665

Tel: 011 688 6627

UPDATE: Johannesburg Water systems improving after power failure at Vereeniging purification works

by Teboho | Mar 21, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement

Johannesburg Water’s infrastructure is making steady progress after water supply was affected on Monday 20 March 2023.

This follows the power failure experienced at Rand Water’s Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant in the early hours of Monday morning, which affected pumping capacity at the bulk supplier’s Eikenhof pump station for a few hours.

As a result, Johannesburg suburbs – which are fed by the Commando system (comprising the Brixton, Hursthill and Crosby reservoirs), Waterval, Quellerina, Eagles Nest and Crown Gardens – were left with critically low water pressure to no water. Since then, the Entity’s technical teams have been working consistently to solve the water supply issues, including isolating certain towers and reservoirs to help build capacity in struggling systems.

As at Tuesday morning, 21 March, the following progress has been made:

Commando system

1. The Crosby reservoir is 0.4m full and inflows are at 526 litres of water per second, compared to 469 litres per second on Monday. The inlet was closed overnight to help improve water levels to the Brixton zone.
2. The Brixton reservoir is 1.86m full compared to Monday’s 1.04m, and the tower is sitting at 1.36m full. This is an improvement since Monday and a step in the right direction insofar as the strategy implemented to close the Crosby reservoir to improve inflows into Brixton. Today, 193 litres per second are pumping into the reservoir compared to Monday’s 123 litres per second. The technical teams are now building capacity into the tower now that sufficient capacity in the reservoir has been achieved.
3. The Hursthill 1 reservoir is at 0.61m, compared to Monday’s 0.41m, while Hursthill 2 is at 0.5m, a considerable improvement as the reservoir was empty on Monday. However, these are still at critically low levels and Johannesburg Water teams are working round the clock to improve water supply.

The Crown Gardens reservoir water levels are making progress with today’s measurements sitting at 2.26m, compared to yesterday’s 1.34m. Tower 1 is still full at over 4.42m and tower 2 is at 4.3m, meaning there is consistency with pumping at the reservoir. It is currently open at 50% capacity.

The Eagles Nest reservoir 1 is 1.61m full, compared to Monday’s 0.37m, and reservoir 2 is 1.22m full, which is an improvement from yesterday when it was empty. The Waterval tower has recovered at 6.17m, while Quellerina is sitting at 2.82m.

Johannesburg Water customers are still affected by low water pressure to no water in some areas. Alternative water supply to critical areas has been provided by Johannesburg Water. Helen Joseph Hospital tanks are full but have a pumping truck on the ground to pump directly to the hospital’s tank.

There are nine stationary water tanks in the below areas:

• Crosby – 1x tank at the Crosby clinic
• Brixton – 1x tank at 1 Rus Road
• Brixton – 2x tanks at the Brixton Recreation Centre
• Coronationville – 1x tank at the Coronation Recreation Centre
• Coronationville – 1x tank at the Slovo Informal Settlement
• Westdene – 1x tank at the Engen Garage
• Melville – 1x tank at corner First Avenue and Main Road
• Melville – 1x tank at corner Seventh Street and Second Avenue

Seven roaming water tankers in the following areas:

• Robertsham
• Westbury
• Coronationville
• Newclare
• Jan Hofmeyer
• Mayfair West
• Crosby
• Westdene
• Crown Gardens
• Evans Park

Issued by: Johannesburg Water Marketing and Communication.

For further enquiries:

Nolwazi Dhlamini

External Communication Officer

Email: nolwazi.dhlamini@jwater.co.za

Cell: 078 606 5665

Tel: 011 688 6627

Johannesburg Water affected by power failure at Vereeniging purification works

by l3rato | Mar 20, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement

Media Statement

20 March 2023

Johannesburg Water affected by power failure at Vereeniging purification works

Rand Water’s Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant experienced a power failure in the
early hours of Monday morning, 20 March 2023, which impacted pumping capacity
at the bulk supplier’s Eikenhof pump station for a few hours.

Subsequently, supply to several Johannesburg Water’s systems were affected,
including the Commando system (comprising the Brixton, Hursthill and Crosby
reservoirs), Waterval, Quellerina, Eagles Nest and Crown Gardens.

Furthermore, Rand Water’s Meredale reservoirs and Johannesburg Water’s Waterval
2 reservoir were left empty. Although pumping was recovered to 100% at the Eikenhof
pump station, the system is still batting to fill the reservoirs.

In Johannesburg South, the Crown Gardens reservoir has been opened to 50%
capacity so that the Entity can sustain pumping into the tower to supply water. The
Eagles Nest reservoir has been put on bypass so that excess water can be put into
reticulation, to be able to sustain supply.

Rand Water has closed the inlet into the Weltevreden reservoir to push excess water
into the Waterval reservoir, which will feed into the Quellerina and Waterval towers,
as well as the Commando system.

The Quellerina and Waterval zones should be recovered by late Monday evening.
The Commando system is the most affected and the Johannesburg Water technical
team is working around the clock to improve water supply.

After an incident such as a power failure, full recovery can take up to five to seven
days on average, provided there are no other issues that arise that will affect the
system. As such, Johannesburg Water is looking into interventions to improve the
recovery period to the Hursthill 1 system, which includes linking Hursthill 1 with a
neighbouring reservoir system.

Johannesburg Water customers are still affected by low water pressure to no water.
Alternative water supply to critical areas has been provided by Johannesburg Water.
There are eight stationary water tanks in the below areas:

• Crosby – one stationary water tank at the Crosby clinic
• Brixton – one stationary water tank at 1 Rus Road
• Brixton – two water stationary tanks at the Brixton Recreation Centre
• Coronationville – one stationary water tank at the Coronation Recreation
Centre
• Coronationville – one stationary water tank at the Slovo Informal Settlement
• Westdene – one stationary water tank at the Engen Garage
• Melville – one stationary water tank at corner First Avenue and Main Road
• Melville – one stationary water tank at corner Seventh Street and Second
Avenue

Eight roaming water tankers, roaming in the following areas:
• Robertsham
• Westbury
• Coronationville
• Newclare
• Jan Hofmeyer
• Mayfair West
• Crosby
• Westdene

Issued by: Johannesburg Water Marketing and Communication.

Over 15 000 reinstatements completed by Johannesburg Water

by l3rato | Mar 9, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement

Over 15 000 reinstatements completed by Johannesburg Water
Johannesburg Water is steadily making inroads in the City’s reinstatements backlog, one brick at a time.

Since 1 July 2022 to date, the Entity’s in-house technical teams have completed 15 205 reinstatements, which include small-scale restoration work on tarmac, paved, and concrete surfaces, backfilling, as well as the building of small valve boxes and chambers. A further 200 reinstatement jobs were done by contractors.

Considering the number of sites that needed to be restored when the Johannesburg Water took responsibility for reinstatements last year, the Entity has made some noteworthy progress.
This was revealed at the Reinstatements Media Session hosted by Johannesburg Water on Wednesday, 8 March 2023.

“The purpose of the media session was to give perspective to what the Entity is doing about the backlog of reinstatements around the City. We know that there are complaints from various regions about this issue and therefore we invited the media to show communities that we are actively addressing the matter,” said Johannesburg Water Spokesperson Puleng Mopeli.

Put simply, reinstatement is the process of closing a site – beneath a pavement or road – after it has been excavated to do water pipe replacements or repairs.

Prior to mid last year, the Johannesburg Roads Agency was responsible for the reinstatement jobs. “However, a decision was taken that Johannesburg Water would take over the responsibility of performing reinstatements on tarmac, paved, concrete, and stone surfaces. There are also grass surfaces that require minor reinstatement work that involves backfilling and compacting to normal ground level,” explained Johannesburg Water Senior Operations Manager Logan Munsamy.

Johannesburg Water uses both contractors and in-house teams to complete the work.
“The medium to large-scale work that includes paving, backfilling, concreting of surfaces, tarmac surfaces, and the building of valve boxes and chambers is outsourced to three service providers who share the workload among the regions. These service providers are appointed on a framework contract and have the necessary skills, equipment, and experience to undertake the magnitude of this work.”
Because of the enormity of the work, Johannesburg Water supplements capacity using in-house operator reinstatement teams.

“We have 10 depots in seven regions in the City of Johannesburg, which are strategically situated across the City to undertake service delivery issues. Each depot has an average of about four reinstatement teams. Some areas, like Soweto which is a larger region, have more.” The teams perform minor reinstatement works such as small-scale paving, concreting of surfaces, backfilling, and compaction. They are also geared up with the necessary skills and equipment to undertake small-scale reinstatement works.

“We have received some complaints about substandard workmanship or the slow pace at which some of the work is carried out. When we do become aware of such situations, we manage it according to our contract management process,” Munsamy reassured.

“This is indeed a mammoth task, but we are making progress slowly but surely. We do have our challenges; however, we intend to build more capacity as we go along. We have to be realistic about the backlog thus far, which cannot be eradicated overnight, either, but is being prioritised as it affects the safety of pedestrians and vehicle owners, as well as traffic flow management. Johannesburg Water is dedicated to providing optimal services. However, infrastructure in most suburbs is old, hence the frequency of repairs occurring more often than before. We do have capital upgrades every financial year, which we use to prioritise the most urgent jobs.”

Issued by: Puleng Mopeli

Logan Munsamy (centre) addressing the media on Wednesday, 8 March 2023.

A Johannesburg Water reinstatements team doing work at a site in Mulbarton on Wednesday, 8 March 2023.

Johannesburg Water strengthens relations with stakeholders

by l3rato | Mar 7, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement

Media Statement

07 March 2023

Johannesburg Water strengthens relations with stakeholders

In an effort to fortify the existing working relationship between Johannesburg Water and its stakeholders, the Entity hosted an engagement session with gated communities and sectional title holders.

The forum was held on Monday, 6 March 2023 at the Entity’s Cydna Laboratory in Houghton. This is part of Johannesburg Water’s commitment to improve customer and stakeholder satisfaction by enhancing stakeholder engagement programmes.

These stakeholder engagement sessions also serve as a platform for stakeholders to voice their concerns on any service delivery issues they may have.

Johannesburg Water gave an overview of the Company, performance highlights and the challenges experienced during the 2021/22 Financial Year, the hurdles projected going into the new financial year, as well as the interventions in place to mitigate those hurdles. Operations, Meter Reading, and Credit Control departments gave the audience insight on their processes and procedures.

Service delivery concerns raised by stakeholders included credit control and billing issues, as well as the turnaround time for reinstatements.

Furthermore, one of the major topics that were raised was the ongoing issue of water and sewer infrastructure renewals backlog. The replacement value of water and sewer infrastructure renewal backlog is currently sitting at R103 billion due to underfunding.

“We require R2 billion a year to invest in our infrastructure; however, the actual investment rate annually is restricted to R1 billion a year. So, that year-on-year deficiency accumulates over time, however the Entity is sourcing alternative funding.” explained Johannesburg Water’s General Manager: Strategy, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jones Mnisi.

“The funding model we have started implementing is to approach external private businesses and state-owned entities.”

A follow-up feedback session will be held in the next financial year.

Johannesburg Water systems affected by major burst at Palmiet pump station

by l3rato | Feb 23, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement

23 February 2023

Johannesburg Water systems affected by major burst at Palmiet pump station.

Several Johannesburg suburbs that are serviced by the Palmiet pump station might experience low water pressure from this afternoon.

This comes after Rand Water experienced a major burst on its bulk infrastructure, which impacted the Palmiet pump station system that is currently pumping at only 48%.

As a result, water supply to various Johannesburg Water reservoirs, towers, and direct feeds might be affected, leaving various suburbs with reduced supply.

The affected systems include the South Hills tower, Alexander Park reservoir, Linksfield reservoir, Randjieslaagte reservoir, Diepsloot reservoir, Erand reservoir and tower, Grand Central reservoir and tower, President Park reservoir and tower, Rabie Ridge reservoir and tower, Corporate Park reservoir and tower, Randjesfontein reservoir and tower, Steyn City reservoir, Modder Hill reservoir, Linbro Park reservoir, Marlboro reservoir, Illovo reservoir and tower, Morningside reservoir, Bryanston reservoirs and tower, as well as the Dunkeld reservoir.

Rand Water technical teams are on site working to repair the valves.

Johannesburg Water requests customers to reduce consumption to enable a steady water supply during this period.

Issued by: Puleng Mopeli