Hermanus water: Quo Vadis?

Writer: Dr Anina Lee.

A capacity audience of over 100 people attended a recent public talk at Whale Coast Conservation. They came to get the low-down on the water situation in Hermanus from Dylan Blake, principal geologist at Umvoto Africa, the consultants to the Overstrand Municipality on groundwater.

We all know that De Bos Dam is not a reliable source of water. Climate change brings less rain and higher temperatures, and farmers in the valley abstract more and more water before it even reaches the dam. The health of the Onrus estuary depends on the release of a specified amount of water (the ecological reserve) from the dam, but in drought years this does not happen as the water has to be diverted for human use. The alien trees along the banks of the Onrus River suck up more water. This severely impacts the estuary, and its recreational use.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 8)