REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF ROADS, BRIDGES, PIPELINES, PIPELINE CROSSINGS, BOREHOLE PUMPHOUSES LOCATED WITHIN WATERCOURSES, WETLANDS AND INDIGENOUS VEGETATED AREAS AND ALL INFRASTRUCTURE RELATING TO THE ATLANTIS WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SCHEME LOCATED IN T

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) issued the City of Cape Town (CCT) with a Directive on 30 May 2017, in terms of Section 30A of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) Regulations, 2014 (as amended), to address the emergency that arose due to severe drought conditions and ensure adequate water supply within the jurisdiction of the CCT. This was supported by the (then) National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) [now Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)], who issued a Section 30A Directive on 12 April 2018. The Directives authorised the CCT to commence with NEMA Listed Activities, for water augmentation projects (e.g., sea water desalinisation, water re-use, and ground water abstraction) under the New Water Programme, without he need to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. In addition, a local state of disaster was declared by the CCT in March 2017. This local state of disaster was extended monthly up until the end of September 2019 by notice in the Provincial Gazette. The emergency measures being developed as part of the New Water Programme comprised inter alia, the upgrading of the Atlantis Water Resource Management Scheme (AWRMS). The AWRMS is a managed aquifer recharge scheme where treated wastewater and storm water is diverted to large basins where it infiltrates into a sandy aquifer, whereafter it is abstracted and reused for municipal supply of water (DWS, 2010).

Construction of the AWRMS was completed by 1979. In short, this scheme consists of basins which allow for the infiltration of storm water, and treated wastewater to recharge the sandy aquifer, which acts as an underground water reservoir. A portion of the water is diverted towards coastal recharge basins, which maintain a high-water table along the coast to prevent the intrusion of sea water into the aquifer. Water from the aquifer is abstracted by boreholes in the Witzand and Silwerstroom wellfields and is pumped to a water treatment plant before being distributed into the municipal supply system. The basins, wellfields and water treatment plants are currently in the process of being repaired and upgraded in order to further augment the water supply within the region. This work is currently being completed under the abovementioned Section 30A Directive.

An Environmental Maintenance Management Plan (EMMP) for all he AWRMS infrastructure is currently being complied for submission to DFFE, which, once approved, will allow the municipality to trigger certain listed activities when undertaking regular maintenance and repairs. Maintenance activities may include the following:

1. Repair of damaged water crossing infrastructure:
Existing infrastructure will need repairs over time. This would include the repair of bridges, weirs, replacement of broken culverts, redirecting of culverts which are located against the natural flow of a stream or watercourse, dredging inside the watercourse to obtain access to infrastructure, removal of flood debris and silt and the infilling of material for stabilisation and support of new infrastructure.

2. Replacement of damaged road, pipeline, and electrical and communication cable infrastructure after large storm events:
In most instances after large storm events there is some degree of damage, including erosion of banks, gravel roads and bridge approaches. Some flood debris could also cause damage to the infrastructure itself which would need to be fixed or replaced if damaged extensively. This could entail dredging, excavating and infilling in a watercourse.

3. Repair of road, pipeline, and electrical and communication cable infrastructure:
Over time some damage could occur to installed pipeline infrastructure, which would result in machinery needing to access the infrastructure in indigenous vegetation areas, over / underneath the stream and would entail dredging, excavating and potentially infilling inside a watercourse, and the clearance of indigenous vegetation.

4. Clearing of culverts:
Regular clearing of culverts, especially during the rainy season, would need to take place to avoid damage and flooding along the entire road and pipeline networks where streams are crossed. The clearing would entail the dredging or excavating of debris, silt and other flooded material from the crossings.

5. Replacement of eroded stream crossing approaches:
Over time some of the gravel road approached alongside the stream crossings could erode and cause the need for replacement or installation of erosion control measures. This would entail the infilling of material within close proximity to watercourses or within wetland areas.

6. Replacement / installation of erosion control measures:
Where erosion control measures are already installed, maintenance would have to be done to ensure these remain in good working order or that areas that become prone to erosion is secured to protect infrastructure and prevent downstream impacts to the aquatic ecosystems. This would entail the potential excavation and infilling of material within watercourses or wetland areas.

7. Clearing of silt or flood debris from infrastructure and watercourses, ponds and basins:
Over time silt and gravel will accumulate along, under and behind infrastructure in watercourses, ponds and basins. These need to be cleared regularly to ensure proper functioning of the infrastructure and ecosystems and prevent flooding and associated damage within these areas.

8. Clearing of alien vegetation around infrastructure and from watercourses, ponds, basins and naturally vegetated areas:
The clearing and/or removal of alien vegetation will be required on a regular basis to ensure that infrastructure operates correctly and efficiently, and to protect natural vegetated areas, weirs, basins, ponds and watercourses.

The purpose of the NID falls under Duty of Care (NEMA), seeing that the infrastructure already exists and the NEMA process entails an application for the adoption of a Maintenance Management Programme (MMP)