NATIONAL WATER RESOURCE STRATEGY SOUTH AFRICA’S WATER SITUATION AND STRATEGIES TO BALANCE SUPPLY AND DEMAND GOURITZ WMA

1. NATIONAL WATER RESOURCE STRATEGY SOUTH AFRICA’S WATER SITUATION AND STRATEGIES TO BALANCE SUPPLY AND DEMAND GOURITZ WMA

2. WMA 16: Gouritz - Rainfall and Evaporation

3. WMA 16: Gouritz - Base Map

4. WMA 16: Gouritz - Land Use

5. WMA 16: Gouritz - Sectoral Water Requirements (2000)

6. 30 % National Gouritz WMA 20 % Contribution 10 % 0 % Other Trade Mining Finance Transport Electricity Agriculture Community Government Construction Manufacturing Sectoral contributions to the economy (1997)

7. WMA 16: Gouritz - Water Availability (2000)

8. WMA 16: Gouritz - Water Reconciliation (2000)

9. WMA 16: Gouritz - Population scenarios

10. WMA 16: Gouritz - Water Reconciliation (future)

11. WMA 16: Gouritz - Groundwater • Groundwater of major importance in Gouritz WMA • Primary source of water for rural domestic supplies and stock watering, as well as for several towns in WMA • Most of groundwater, however, used for irrigation • Oudtshoorn geological fault may discharge large quantities of water to the ocean – this may be abstracted for inland utilisation • Significant quantities of water may be abstractable Table Mountain Group geological formations - further investigations required • Little (if any) potential for further exploitation of ground-water resources without impacting on surface water

12. WMA 16: Gouritz - Water quality • Water quality in inland (Karoo) rivers generally poor due to natural high salinity of the water • Water quality in upper reaches of rivers generally of high standard - becomes mineralised downstream as result of geology and evaporation from rivers • Water in lower reaches of Gouritz River is unacceptable for most uses due to high salinity • Water quality in the coastal rivers is generally good - impacts of human activities evident in some rivers • Quality of groundwater in general appropriate for use - brackish water commonly in drier areas • No contamination of groundwater as result of human activity - risk thereof is insignificant in Gouritz WMA

13. WMA 16: Gouritz - Key issues • Current developed water resources fully utilised - some inland towns experience insufficient reliability of supply • Serious deficits may result from implementation of the Reserve in the Coastal sub-area • Most irrigation opportunistic or supplementary • Strong connectivity between groundwater and surface water in Olifants and Coastal sub-areas • Water in middle and lower reaches of Gouritz River and its tributaries of high salinity - also applies to groundwater in some areas • Special attention to prevent salinisation of soils and manage the impact of return flows on salinity levels

14. WMA 16: Gouritz - Key issues (2) • Efficiency of irrigation very low at some schemes • Future economic and population growth along the coastwith accompanying increases in requirements • Under high scenario: additional requirements for water may be in excess of undeveloped resource potential • Substantial potential for further development of surface water resources in Coastal sub-area • environmentally very important and sensitive area • feasibility strongly influenced by requirements for Reserve • Potential for additional afforestation and utilisation of groundwater from Table Mountain Group aquifers

15. WMA 16: Gouritz Water resources under control of the Minister • Continued transfer of water of about 0,7 million m3/a to the Breede WMA