Improving Water Access for Climate-Resilient Intensive Homestead Food Production Practices

| Erna Kruger

IMPROVING WATER ACCESS FOR CLIMATE-RESILIENT INTENSIVE HOMESTEAD FOOD

PRODUCTION PRACTICES

1.1THE CURRENT SITUATION

Homestead food production is an important aspect of the smallholder farming system. These systems

are small (0,01-0,5 ha; or 100-5 000 m2) plots adjacent to homesteads where participants plant a range

of crops and fruit trees, with or without access to water for irrigation.The homesteads also host small

livestock such as poultry and, in some cases, goats and cattle. A limited number of people also keep

pigs. These plots are usually fenced. The large majority of smallholders plant for household

consumption and sale of surplus.

Production is constrained by infertile and badly structured soils. Often, the smallholders live in areas

where soilsare not ideal for cropping. This situation is worsened by repeated shallow tillage (with hand

hoes and/or tractors), without the addition of nutrients or organic matter, often over many years. The

results are very low fertility soils, with many structuralproblems such as capping and compaction. This

is now exacerbated by climate change, with alternating hot and dry conditions and heavy downpours

adding extensive erosion of topsoil to the list of woes. Productivity is generally extremely low.

In addition, access to water for irrigation is an enormous obstacle for most smallholders, who battle to

have enough just for household use.

Water management in an intensive food production system consists of:

•Reduction in run-off and water erosion; mostly through measures such as diversion ditches

infiltration basins, contours, stone bunds, check dams and the like.

•Improved water-holding capacity; mostly through increased organic matter in the soil,

mulching and microclimate management (such as improved shade and reduced wind).

•Improved water-use efficiency; mostly through irrigation management, drip irrigation and

greywater management.

•Improved access to water; mostly through small dams, spring protection and drilling of

boreholes.

Improved access to water can take several forms and interventions are generally conceived as large

infrastructureprojects implemented through government and municipal processes.In this report, we

focus on increasing local level access through processes that groups of individuals can undertake within

their communities.

1.2GROUP-BASED ACCESS TO WATER SOURCES

Water is considered a communal resource and as such waterprojects need to accommodate all

community members. For the large majority of rural settlements, water access is about household water

needs and it is this aspect that government services focus on.

It is possible to conceptualise water provision for agriculture at a village level, where an interest group

of smallholders undertake to manage and use a specific water resource, such as a spring, or a borehole,

with consent from the local authorities and Water Service Authority representatives. We do not include

rivers and perennial streams in this activity, as water offtake and management from these sources is

socially, politically and environmentally a lot more complicated and does require the whole community

to be involved.

Group-based water management options have the advantage that participants can “own” their scheme

and thus have a lot more control over their water access. It also has the advantage that the group itself

designs, implements, maintains and manages access for the members. The members are responsible

for water use and management and are accountable to each other.

| Erna Kruger

1.3DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPT

The institutional landscape for water provisionis still mostly conceptualised as drinking water at a

minimum level of 25l per capita per day. The equivalent in urban areas is 200l per capita per day. This

mismatch is partly due to the conundrum of non-revenue water provision, which allowsfor 6000l per

household per month – the free basic water amount, provided to households defined as indigent.

According to the Strategic Framework for Water Services (SFWS) of the Department of Water Affairs

and, which is the executive strategy for the water acts, it is the responsibility of a Water Services

Authority to ensure that “adequate and appropriate investments are made to ensure the progressive

realisation of the right of all people in its area of jurisdiction to receive at least a basic level of water

and sanitation services”,

i.e. a universal service obligation. Actual delivery of the water and sanitation

services is thus the responsibility of local government.

A National Water Policy Review (NWPR) by the Department of Water Affairs (2016) resulted in the

prioritisation of access to basic water supply in the form of a yard connection to all households in the

country, taking into account availability of water resources, financial challenges, geographical

placement issues, servicing of vulnerable groups and addressing the backlog

When water supply is seen as a series of projects where the construction of infrastructure is the most

important element, rather than the provision of a service, it is bound to be unsustainable. A service

includes the initial construction phase but is predominantly an ongoing business of supplying (at a

cost) water to consumers over a long period of time. Iterative, transparent, coordinated and

cooperative planning through local government procedures can build capacity; canattract funding

from other governmental and non-governmental sources and can promote convergence and pooling

of resources.

A stronger link between planning processes and budgeting is extremely important, which is a major

challenge amid numerous parallel operating planning processes by local government and by line

agencies and other stakeholders operating through local government. Optimal water services

institutions are therefore those that possess a combination of governance attributes (legitimacy,

accountability, adaptability, effectiveness, efficiency) that will enhance prospects of achieving the

objectives of Integrated Water Resource Management, appropriate water services, improved

livelihoods and social integration.

Demand-driven approaches that are empowering communities through well-structured and informed

campaigns and encouraging involvement in the decision-making process must be incorporated in the

provision of water services. Sustainable water service provision should ensure that robust, on-going

water conservation awareness and promotion interventions are part of the service provided.

There has however been little development of the concepts of multiple use options of water and due

to the difficulties and expenses involved in bulk supply of water in rural areas, many of these areas

still languish in supply systems provided before 1994 or without access to potable and irrigation water.

A typical household or community needs and uses water for different purposes even if a water

delivery system is designed and managed with the aim of providing a service that meets the demand

for a single water use. To be prepared for this manner of water use, the concept of multiple use

servicesmust serve as a departure point in developing appropriate norms and standards.

“Wherever practical, water services and infrastructure must provide water for multiple use and

accommodate mixed levels of service within communities, allowing consumers to elect a level of

service which suits their needs, is affordable to them (within the prevailing subsidy framework),

addresses inequalities, utilises appropriate and upgradable technologies, and is governed

transparently, effectively and responsibly to ensure sustainability”.

L.C.Dunker. 2015. Towards norms and standards for water services in rural South Africa. WIT

www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line). doi:10.2495/WS150161

| Erna Kruger

Within the latest policy process of DWA the following water institutions have been defined and are

allowable.

WaterServicesInstitution

MainFeatures

WaterServicesAuthority

• A municipalityresponsibleforensuringaccesstowatersupplyand(WSA)

sanitationservices

• Mustbe a municipalityandnootherinstitution – categoryA, C orB

(fauthorizedbyMinister(DPLG))

• Mayitselfperformfunctionsofwaterservicesprovider,orenter

intocontract/jointventurewithanotherWSP

WaterServicesProvider

• Providesthewatersupplyandsanitationservices(physically)to

(WSP)consumersundercontracttotheWSA

• WSPfunctioncanbeperformedbymunicipality,waterboard,non-

governmentalorganization,community-basedorganization,

privatesectorcompany,oranyotherprivateorpublicbody

• NopersonmayoperateasWSPwithoutapprovalofWSA

WaterBoard

• IsestablishedbytheMinisterofWaterAffairs & Forestry(WB)

• Primaryfunction:toprovidewaterservicestootherWSIs

• Is a publicwaterservicesprovider

• Mayperformsecondaryactivitiesifprimaryfunctionsandfinancial

standingnotcompromised – examples

-Providemanagementservices,trainingandothersupport services

-Supply untreated water not for household purposes

-Provide catchment management services

-Provide water supply and sanitation services in a joint venture with WSAs

-Perform water conservation functions

- WithapprovaloftheWSA,supplywaterdirectlyforindustrial

use,acceptindustrialeffluent,actasWSPtoconsumers

WaterServices Committees

• A statutorycommitteethatmaybeestablishedbytheMinister

should a WSAfailinitsduty (WSC)

• WSCdoesnotreferto a community-basedorganizationthat

performs a WSPfunctionatcommunitylevel(rural)

WaterServices Intermediary

• A personorbodyprovidingwatertopeopleas a minorpartof

a contract(egfarmertolabourers,landlordofflatstotenants,

miningcompanytoemployeesinhousing)

• Onlyapplicablewherethereisanobligationbyonepartyto

provideservicestoanotheraspartof a contract

The avenue open to locality and group-based water management options are to serve as water

service providers with permission from the water service authorities.

1.4EXPERIENCES IN BERGVILLE- UTHUKELA DM.

uThukela Water isresponsiblefor rural water provision in the Emmaus region (amaMgwane and

amaZizi Traditional Authorities), where MDF has been operational. In these area Mahlathini, with

assistance from sister NGOs and small injections of funding, has been working with water committees

to provide group-based access to multi-purpose water in three villages between 2020-2023.

The water provision landscape in these villages is complex and fragmented, with small place based

schemes, consisting usually of either a protected spring or a borehole with a storage tank have been

provided by uThukela Water, but also by other concerns such as SAPPI, political parties, NGOs and

communities themselves.

The official route for water services provision and management is to work through the ward councillor,

in this case Mr ?Dladla, who is part of a ward committee where issues are raised and brought to the

attention of the Project Management Unit based in Ladysmith. These technically oriented staff (3

members) have made it clear that all water provision and water quality aspects are under their

management and control and that they are not partial to these small independent initiatives. Their

| Erna Kruger

feeling is that if outside

funding is provided, the

resultant infrastructure

should be handed over to

them for management. They

specifically felt that

communities and their

committees complicate

matters as they believe they

“own” the infrastructure,

make unreasonable

demandsand are difficult to

communicate with. They also

clearly stated that they can not

support water infrastructure

projects with management and

maintenance unless those are

handed over to the

Municipality.They

mentioned that they also do not

support the NGO assisted

water access to

communities as often these

small schemes and spring

protection projects do not fulfil

the requirements for water quality that they are obliged to meet.

Despite this they have been unwilling or unable to provide an overall plan of water service provision to

the area. Since 2020 when the spotlight started to fall on the fact that many of these villages have

zero water provision and have had nosupport or services at all from uThukela Watersince their

inception,a number of ad hoc efforts have been seen in these villages. The positioning and

implementation of these small water access points is however not discussed with the communities

and in all cases services only a small, localisedproportion of the inhabitants in these villages.

(In 2002 UDM and three other Category C DMs, took the matter of their not receiving equitable shares

from national allocations to court – Some compensation was promised from National Government and

it was also indicated that different organs of state could not take each other to court- but had to follow

the outlined conflict resolution procedures.

Presently the UDM is under administration by COGTA, as the municipality is in debt. They have

however received funding recently (April 2023) from DWS and are planning three multi million rand

projects around the Okhahlamba area, one for Bergville and two more…..

The fledgeling Northern Drakensberg catchment partnership have been unable to secure their support

or participation.

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•Full participation of community members, traditional authorities and ward councillors allows

for water schemes that are locally appropriate, locally managed and equitable

•A patch work of different locality based schemes can provide access to basic water toall

households in a village, rather than only a small proportion

•The schemes bring water closer to households via either yard connections or taps and

provide a minimum of 50L of water per household per day – usually between 100-200L (~50 l

per capita)

•Aspects of sustainability are included in the design, operation and management and local

training and awareness raising are included in the process

CONSIDERATIONS

•Group based day to day management works best for groups of

around 20 people. If groups are much larger (e.g.~50

households), intractable conflicts are much more likely to arise

•Allocation of roles such as daily opening and closing of valves,

works best if this is rotated between group members rather than

placing this responsibility solely on one person.

•In cases where pumping is required (e.g. from electrical

borehole pumps), it works best to fill the tanks overnight, then

open the valves once during the day in the mornings, before

closing them again for refilling in the evening. Continual

pumping is problematic usually both for the borehole in terms of

potential over pumping and also the participants, as regulating

water usage becomes almost impossible in these low-tech

systems.

•For springs which are considered as public access water points

in communities, spring protection can be done for localised

groups only if an arrangement is made for the general

community to also have access at the spring itself and drinking

pointsfor livestock are also considered.

•

| Erna Kruger

•Water is provided for multi purpose use. Water quality is tested upon inception and

community members are training in citizen science methods and procedures for regular

checking of water quality (E coli test kits).

•Participation in the local ‘schemes’ is group and membership based and these members pay

towards ongoing management and maintenance of their system. The broader community, in

the case of springs, is not excluded and access points at the protected spring are open to all

as well as livestock if required. In the case of boreholes, this stipulation does not apply. All

who want to use water, need to contribute financially.

•Traditional authority representatives generally have been very open to these processes and

have thrown their weight behind these systems – which has provided a level of authority and

legitimacy to the water committees and the rules and procedures outlined.

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•Financial contributions are unlikely to be enough to deal with major maintenance issues or

replacement of infrastructure.

•Due to the localised nature of the water sources, there is a limitation both in the number of

people wo can be serviced and the amount of water that can be allocated to each household

on a daily basis. Individuals who do not respect these boundaries cannot be easily delt with.

•Local conflicts around payments are almost inevitable, as some individuals feel water should

be accessible to all and should be free- as a constitutional right. This argument cannot be

denied, but also leads to abuse of the systems

•Mostly, the difficulties come from people outside of the villages entering and helping

themselves to large amounts of water- a situation that the locals cannot police

•There is a limit to how much effort community members can and will put in on a daily basis to

ensure smooth operation of the water infrastructure. It has been found that daily operations

are onerous for the individuals who are responsible, compoundedby lack of support and

respect from other individuals in the community.

•The process works well in communities that are socially coherent, but not in ‘disturbed”

villages where newcomers and strangers reside and fail to respect the processes and rules

outlined.

VIMBUKHALO

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The process consists of the following steps:

ØDiscussions with CRA learning group and water committee to ascertain the need and

motivation for action, followed by initial group walks to identify possible water sources

ØA more formal water walk with the engineer of the most promising options. Springs that are

not perennial, or too low down to be reticulated using gravity, or too far away from

households, or where ownership is contested are removed from the list of options.

ØThe engineer develops scenarios for the development of the source and potential yield and

reticulation. These options are discussed with the water committee and participants and final

lists of potential participants are drawn up. Here it is determined who will be part of the

scheme. Some households will fall outside of the physical range of the reticulation and

different options need to be discussed with them. Some households will not want to join the

group and make the required payments or undertake the labour themselves.

ØThen, the work is outlined, and undertaken jointly between the group, the engineer and MDF’s

field team

MDF initially engaged in thinking through water access options with the Vimbukhalo community in

2019-2020 and a Water Committee was formalized. At the time no assistance had been provided by

the authorities since 1994. Water access was through to small, localized schemes – a protected

spring and a borehole provided by the Department of Agriculture and SAPPI respectively. Most

| Erna Kruger

households collected, and still collect water form unprotected springs and small streams in the

community. The discussions were picked up again in August 2022 and the following changes were

noted:

ØThe SAPPI borehole with header tank, providing water for around 22 households is no longer

operational as the pump stopped working

ØuThukela Water, with the councillor for the area intervened and protected one spring and

provided a header tank for that (on the steep slope away from the SAPPIplantations, which

provides water for around 15 households)

ØuThukela Water also provided a solar powered borehole for the school in the village.

ØThe Water Committee set up before does not represent the whole of the community, but only

the section where uThukela water intervened and is made up of a number of members of the

local ward committee.

Through discussions with community members, it has become clear that in Vimbukhalo there are a

number ofsmaller informal water committees that are locality based, rather than a structure that

represents the whole community. This complicates matters somewhat and provides for some

competition and mistrust, but also allows for small locality -based group initiatives, which enables

greater involvement and commitment for those specific groups. It does however not help with

planning an overall patchwork of water access options that can benefit the whole community. The

latter process has been kept in mind in the water walks undertaken by MDF but cannot be tackled

coherently at present.

The initial water walk in July 2022, with the CRA learning group members and their localised water

committee focused on the side of the community closest to the SAPPI plantation (eastof the river).

The walk showed that the SAPPI borehole, pump with one 5000l JoJo header tank is presently not

operational – as the electricity trips. The community requested support first form SAPPI, who declined

further support and then uThukela Water, who have not come to see the situation, but suggested

households collect R100 from all participants to a minimum of R1900 for a new pumpand also that

they could only intervene if the community handed over the ownership of this borehole to the

municipality.

These participants have been using this scheme for 10 years successfully, paying R5 per household

upon request to the homestead where the electricity for the pump is connected. They mentioned that

they used to pump every third day and that people would come and collect water while pumping was

ongoing during the day and then later once the pump was switched off and the tank had filled up. This

system seems to have worked well for this whole period until a malfunction with the electrics. There is

evidence at the electricity box of trying to fix the connections and adding more insulation tape as

attempts to fix the problem. Presently the households have to walk to the river, between 500-1000m

away to fetch water.

| Erna Kruger

Figure 1: Above Left: the

header tank for the SAPPI

borehole. Centre: the pump

for the borehole and right: The

enclosure built for the pump

and electrical box.

A new borehole with solar pump has been installed at the school, further along the east side of the

river by

uThukela Water

Figure 2: Above Left: The borehole with solar panel at the school and Right: Looking towards the

school from the wetland below

There is also some old infrastructurein the wetland below the school, originally put in by the

Department of Agriculture in the mid 1980’s. A small cementheadertank with a tap slightly further

down. The tank is still operational although it leaks, but the tap is presently situated in the middle of

the wetland is highly trampled by cattle.

| Erna Kruger

Figure 3: The old,

protected spring

with leaking

header tank and

inaccessible tap.

This walk

was followed by more visits to local unprotected springs both within the villages and further away in

the hills as more options were mentioned over time by the participants. Most of these options were

not considered as the springs are small and far away from homesteads. A more formal walk with the

engineer to survey the most promising options was undertaken.

The report is added as an attachment: ‘WWF_Vimbukhalo borehole and spring engineering

report_ AM_20220905’. The main recommendations here were:

ØTo refurbish the old SAPPI borehole: Do a borehole yield test, remove and replace the pump,

consider according to strength and quality of water a reticulation plan that can include as

many households as possible, and increase header tank capacity. Installation of communal

taps is to be considered.

ØTo explore options for protection and reticulation of the spring in the bordering SAPPI

plantation. This spring is higher up and can incorporate around 9-11 households that are

situated above the borehole and are unable to access that water (Spring 1 on map) and

ØCreate a better water collection option for the old- protected spring in the wetland close to the

school. (Spring 3 on map)

These scenarios, together with the maps were discussed with the Vimbukhalo community (21st

September 2022). It was agreed there to commence with the yield testing of the borehole and to

organise meetings with SAPPI to request assistance with potential spring protection on their land.

| Erna Kruger

In addition, the letter of borehole ownership, obtained through SAPPI and delivered by the councillor

Mr Bonginkosi Dladla is to be held safely by the committee until this refurbishment is completed. At

that point the committee will make a decision as to whether they will ‘keep’ the ownership of the

borehole with them or hand it over to the Municipality. Community members are loathe to hand over

the ownership as they do not believe uThukela Water will assist them, regardless of this requirement.

They are however nervous of having to take full responsibility for the system – as they can easily

handle day to day

management and

maintenance, but

cannot

necessarily

manage large

expenditures,

such as pump

breakdowns.

These issues will

be further

discussed.

Figure 4: Right: The

Vimbukhalo water

committee participants

identifying all

households on the map

and Far right: The list of

participants in the

scheme identified.

From this

workshop there

were 56

households

proposed to be

involved in the

borehole scheme

who could gain

access, depending on the final results for the borehole yield test. In addition, 8 households were

identified who could benefit form protecting the spring on the SAPPI plantation bordering the

community.

| Erna Kruger

Figure 5: The map outlining the water sources in Vimbukhalo and the proposed scenarios for refurbishment of the borehole and development of a spring on SAPPI land bordering the community. The households

that can receive water from these developments are numbered and marked in blue and green respectively.

| Erna Kruger

This was followed by a committee meeting with SAPPI, on the 13thof October.

Figure 6: Meeting at the Vimbukhalo hall with representatives of the ward committee and water committee and SAPPI. Present were

Zaphesheya Luthuli(SAPPI Representative), Erna Kruger(MDF), Michael Malinga(MDF), Hlengiwe Hlongwane (MDF), Zibonele

Sithole(ward committee), Jerome Ndaba (SAPPIforum) and Mama Dlamini( SAPPI committee secretary)

Zapesheya Luthuli is the community representative for Vimbukhalo. She confirmed that SAPPi has a

long history in Vimbukhalo, often conflictual and that looking at a water source other than the borehole

could be a move forward. She did mention thaough that there may be difficulties in working with this

spring as SAPPI is very protective of their land holdings and want to limit movement of people on their

propreties. iShe undertook to speak to the relevant plantation managers to discuss this option and

promised to convey a decision soon. The proposal has been shared with the Engineering and

Environment Unit of SAPPI, who have done a site visit. A decision cannot be made immediately as

the proposal involves the disturbance of land and water catchment area. Therefore consultation will

be taking place in the last week of November 2022, will the other business units (legal, resources etc)

in order to make an informed decision internally.

The work on the yield testing of the borehole was undertaken by Geocon Consulting and midlands

Pumps and started in the week of 27thof October. This entailed a few different processes including a

step discharge test, a constant discharge test and recovery monitoring, which took 3-4 days to

complete. The community temporarily installed 2x 2500l JoJo tanks alongside the present header

tank to ensure the capture of as much of this water as possible to use in the interim.

Figure 7: Right: The piping from the borehole

yield testing is shown in the foreground. And

Far right: Community members levelled

platforms for the two extra JoJo tanks so that

water could be stored temporarily for the

community.

The technical report is attached

‘Vimbukhalo BH1 test pumping

report_Midlands

Pumps_20221101’

The recovery of the water level for

the 24hour recovery monitoring was poor and was only 61%. The recommended available daily

abstraction is 6.40 kl/day within an 8hr pumping cycle, to allow enough recharge for subsequent

pumping. A resting period of a dayor two between pumping cycles would be ideal. Water quality was

| Erna Kruger

classified as Class II,which is unfit forhuman consumption without treatment, due to higher than

recommended levels of fluoride, coliform bacteria and general bacteria. It is recommended that another

water source needs to be used by households to alternate the use of this borehole water, as long-term

use of water with high levels of fluoride can harm recipients’ teeth through discoloration. The other

treatment option is reverse osmosis. Coliforms bacteria can be easily treated through boiling or adding

of household Jik to the water. The consultant suggested a further quality test be undertaken to check if

levels remain high or whether it is an intermittent issue.

A new pump is to be installed that can pump the suggested 6,4kl in an 8- hour cycle. According to the

consultants, consistent use of this one borehole will not affect the basal flow of the underground water

in this area negatively.

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The Vimbukhalo borehole scheme was finalised in the second week of December 2022. The scheme

consists of:

1.The borehole pump box, linked to the homestead electricity supply of Mrs

Fiasani Mpulo

2.The main 5000 l header tank with 1 tap close to the tank and 4 taps

toward the bottom.

3.A 2nd2500l header tank higher up with 1 tap.

Figure 8: The map outlining the water sources in Vimbukhalo and the proposed scenarios for refurbishment of the borehole.The

households that can receive water from these developments are numbered and marked in blue and green respectively.

The scheme services a total of 53 households. A community meeting was called on the 21stof January 2023, to finalised

participants’ financial contributions. Each participant household is to pay R200 to become a member of the water committee.

These monies are to be held in an account for maintenance and labour related to the system. Each household also pays

R10/ month for water provision to pay for electricity for pumping. Two people who were chosen to take money and record

payments; one records payments from people below the road, the other records payments from people above the road.

In January around R210 was collected for pumping and in February the amount was R430. To start, the pump was left on

throughout. Every 2ndday the valve is opened to fill the top tank – it is left open for a day and then closed again for a day.

| Erna Kruger

Issues that arose were primarily around erratic electricity supply in the village as well as to loadshedding. Fiansai Mpulo has

also requested assistance with opening and closing the valve for the top tank as it isn’t close to her and sometimes, she

forgets or is not around.

Some suggestions made to alleviate the challenges were:

1.That Mrs fiansi Mpulo needs to get a new, separate prepaid electricity box for the borehole pump, to separate this

from her personal usage and

2.To request that the councillor assists with a solar electricity for the pump to alleviate the present supply difficulties.

Figure 9: Above Left to Right: the Pump connection, attached to Mrs Fisani Mpulo’s homestead electricity supply, the 5000l header tank

with tap and the top 2500l header tank with tap.

During the community deliberations in Feb-March 2023, the

system was struck by lightning – requiring an assessment of the

whole system and replacementofthe electricity box, with lightning

protection now included. In addition, the pipes servicing the two

header tanks were also replaced with better quality, slightly larger

pipes as the water pressure from this pumping system was too

high for the initial pipes used.

Figure 10: The Midlands pumps work team repairing the electrical system and replacing

input pipes for the header tanks in Vimbukhalo, with the water committee members

looking on– end March 2023

SYSTEM INFORMATION

| Erna Kruger

Previously electricity has just been added to the homesteads pre-paid arrangement for pumping, but in

the present case community members haven’t done the required calculations to understand whether

this is still working and understandably some of the participants felt that maybe some of the electricity

was going to household use. Mrs Fisani Mpulo,the pump operator mentioned that she never had to

separate electricity as it was not an issue before.

Thus, a combined process with the

Mahlathinifacilitators was undertaken to do

the calculations; a process complicated

considerably by the rolling loadshedding in

the area.

Figure 11: Community members present in the

Vimbukhalowater meeting to discuss access and

participation – 7thMarch 2023

The meeting identified households who

fetch from each tap as follows:

-Tap 1 (up at the smaller tank): 7 HH

fetch

-Tap 2 (below Mpulo/ near the

borehole): 5 HH

-Tap 3 (Below Bukisiwe Mpulo’sHH): 6 HH

-Tap 4 (just below the road opp tuckshop): 11 HH

-Tap 5 (in the middle, below the road): 16 HH

-Tap 6 (near Sbongile Mpulo’s HH): 8 HH

To sum up, 13households get water from the smaller tank at the top, and the big tank feeds water to

40 households, totalling53households. 3 households do not pay the R10. From the 27thof January

2023 to the 22ndof February 2023,R430 worth of electricity was used. From this, R430/27days = R15,92

a day, which provides an average, but is not a fully reliable representation as the amount of electricity

used per day may vary and is affected by how much water was used/how often water was fetched each

day. Pumping has been sporadic duetoboth payment and loadshedding, but on average the tanks are

now beingfilled every 2ndday.

The small table below summarises the water use for the two header tanks. This indicates that

households can access 100l of water per day.

Tank(L)

No of HH

L/hh/day

Monthly water use

(L/mth)

Annual water use

(L/yr)

2500

37 440

5000

62,5

75 000

TOTALS

112 440

1 349 280

Averaging

100

159 000

1 908 000

| Erna Kruger

At the end of the meeting, the participants agreed upon the following:

-Paying dates(R10): 9thand 10thof every month

-Those who are in the savings groups can pay(R10) at the savings meeting which is usually on

the 10thof every month.

-The meeting participants committed themselves to pass on these decisions to the absent

members.

A NOTE ON GOVERNANCE

These water committees are informal ad hoc localised groupings in the villages,usually with

representation from the ward committees of the Traditional Authorities and the formal water committee

representatives for the local Municipal Council. In Vimbukhalo this person is Mr Mkhize.

Two strategies exist for formalising the localised water committees – one of intensive upfront

organisational structuring, election of office bearers and development of constitution and rules. The

second is to develop this process over time, based on the experiences and motivation of the group.

Mahlathinihas opted for the second approach, as this allows the members of the informal groups to

slowly formalize their institution as required by circumstance also provides weightto the decisions made

in a participatory way. Governance improved over time. Although this process primarily works through

resolution of conflict and instituting rules to avoid specific circumstance from occurring again, it is much

more participatory and inclusive than the first strategy and generally leads to a more sustainable

outcome.

Stulwane spring protection and reticulation planning and

implementation November 2021-May 2022

1.BACKGROUND

The Stulwane community is located near Emmaus in the Drakensberg region and falls under the

Okhahlamba Local Municipality within the Uthukela District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal. Stulwane is

approximately 8km and 25km travel distance from the centres of Emmaus and Winterton respectively.

Due to the more mountainous terrain the community is separated into a number of sections. Two of

these sections form part of the project area being considered and comprise approximately 90 rural

homesteads in total.

There is currently no reticulated municipal water supply in the area. Current water sources accessed

by the community include:

•one municipal borehole and tank providing communal water access to one section (installed

in Nov 2021)

Pumping details: The tanks had to be emptied and timed to fill up using a specific amount

of money. Calculations showed thatit cost R16,50 to fill both tanks (7500L). This equals

R0,32/hh/pumping x 15=R4,70/month, thus needing around R250/month if pumping is

done every 2ndday.

MrsFisani Mpulowould like to leave the pump on, to avoid having to check all the time

and risk empty tanks and annoyance from participants. The original specifications by the

engineers however stipulated that pumping should not be done for more than 8hrs a day,

to avoid over pumping the borehole. To fill both tanks (7500l) took 5hrs 30 min. This

means the tanks can be filled once per day and overall, this will cost R500/month

It also means that each household can collect 2x50l buckets of water per day

| Erna Kruger

•a spring fed tank and communal tap located away from any cluster of homesteads (installed

in `2017)

•a community borehole with handpump (near the cattle dipping tank, installed in `2017)

•supply by water tanker

•a number of undeveloped springs

A number of potential water sources within, or surrounding, the project area were investigated and

mapped by a hydrological team from UKZNin association with community members and the

Stulwane Water Committee. These were narrowed down, due to various factors such as access,

location and strength of supply, to a few sources for further investigation. These identified supplies

include the borehole situated next to the dipping tank, the undeveloped springs (referred to as springs

1, 2 and 3) and the existing developed spring (spring 4).

Right:'Map'indicating'

the'undeveloped'springs'

with'potential'for'

reticulation'

A further technical

investigation was

undertaken in

November 2021, by

an agricultural

Engineer, Mr Alain

Marechal, who joined the UKZN team and the water committee to assess thetechnicalpotential for

developing and reticulating theseidentified sources.

The outcomes are briefly summarized below

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The borehole situated next to the cattle dipping tank is equipped with a handpump and is operational.

This is a community borehole and would be available to develop further. It is situated away from the

main groupings of homesteads but at an elevation that would allow gravity reticulation to one or two

sections of the project area. The borehole would need to be pump tested to determine its sustainable

yield and whether it is feasible to install an electric pump. On the day of the site visit water samples

were taken to get an indication of any issues with the water quality. One concern is the proximity of

thecattle dipping tank to the borehole and any possible contamination of the groundwater.

| Erna Kruger

G**P/-4%'*@*DE+2$8+%F*GHI*JNK*JMAMOPQ*GRI*GGK*SMAMOTU**

The spring referred to as “spring 1” is situated upstream of, and close to, springs 2 and 3. Of the three

springs this one has the stronger flow and has two upwelling “eyes” evident. Indications from

community representatives are that water is

available all year round from the spring. There has

been no development of this spring apart from a

steel drum placed overone eye, and cattle and

other livestock are able to access the water. A

rough flow measurement was taken on the day of

the site visit and indicates a possibility of being able

to access at least 10 litres a minute. Water

samples were taken to check the e-coli levels in the

water.Right:'View'of'spring'1

Spring 1 has a flow rate of 10 litres per minute.

Reducing this to 7 litres per minute, as a more

conservative figure, would give the possibility of

accessing 10000l per 24 hours. This equates to an

amountof 500l per household on 17-20 households

in the area of coverage below the spring.

NOTE: This is the spring that was chosen for development.

3 Spring2 (Location: 28° 54’ 55.7”S, 29°

22’ 10.8”E)

Spring 2 is situated slightly downstream of spring

1 and has a lower flow. A makeshift barrier /

fence has been erected around this spring and a

steel drum placed around the eye. Water

samples were taken to check the e-coli levels in

the water.

Tight: Spring 2

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NRAMOPQ*GRI*G@K*JHAHOTU**

Spring three is situated further downstream of springs

1 and 2. A steel drum has been placed around the

eye but no further development of the source has

been done. A rough flow measurement taken

indicates a possibility of accessing approximately 6-7

litres a minute. Water samples were taken to check

the e-coli levels in the water.

Right: Spring 3

| Erna Kruger

J*****P/-4%'N*DE+2$8+%F*GHI*JNK*LLAVOPQ*GRI*GGK*SMAMOTU**

Spring 4 has been developed by the community and consists of two covered chambers (brick and

concrete) built around two spring seeps / eyes. Water is piped from the collection chambers to two

2400l tanks that then feed a community standpipe. At the time of inspection the tanks were

overflowing but the

community representatives

did indicate that when used

the tanks do fill very slowly. A

repair is required to a hole in

one tank and fitting of float

valves and replacement tank

lids.

Right: Tanks fed form the

spring and community

standpipe

2.PROPOSED

INTERVENTIONS

Discussions were held with the community representatives regarding the five water sources and

possible development and use of each source to supply water to various areas of the community. Due

to the lower elevation of springs 1, 2 and 3 within the project area it would be necessary to consider

an additional source at higher elevation (the borehole or spring 4) in order to supply water to the

higher lying sections. The outcome of these discussions was that the borehole and one of the

undeveloped springs (1, 2 or 3) could be considered for the project. Spring 4 was to be excluded at

this stage due its low flow. It was further recommended that only one of the undeveloped springs

should be developed in order to avoid any community issues should the development result in

damage and loss of water at the spring eyes.

The project team decided to consider further testing and equipping of the borehole (budget allowing)

and protection of one of the springs (1, 2 or 3). Further to developing the water supplies three

scenarios would be considered for supplying or reticulating water to the community:

•Scenario 1: Store water in (header) tanks and reticulate to smaller drums fitted with float

valves at individual households.

•Scenario 2: Store water in (header) tanks and reticulate water to a number of communal

standpipes placed around the community.

•Scenario 3: Store water in (header) tanks and feed centrally placed communal tanks

within clusters of households.

For purposes of this report the following will be used to refer to the different areas / sections of the

community being supplied:

•Section1:Area of supply coverage below and to the northeast of the borehole

(Comprising approximately 17 households)

•Section2: Area of supply coverage below and to the north of the borehole

(Comprising approximately 33 households)

•Section3: Area of supply coverage below the spring

(Comprising approximately 38 households)

It should be noted that the layouts presented below showing the various reticulation options and

extent of coverage are provisional and for planning purposes. The final layouts, including pipeline

| Erna Kruger

routes, number of households to be supplied, tap and/or tank positions, will only be determined during

the design phase. These would need to take into consideration, among other factors, the actual

amount of water available from the developed sources, community input to positioning of tanks and/or

standpipes, and proofing of the proposed pipeline routes.

3.DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

A meeting was held with the water committee (Nelisie

Msele, Dombi Dlamini, Nothile Zondi, Khulekani

Dladla, Danger Khumalo and Thulani Dlamini, with 3

enviro champs present on 20thJanuary 2022, to

discuss process and decision making regarding the

water access scenarios developed.

Right: Nothile, Nelisiwe and 2 of the enviro champs

at the water committee meeting in Stulwane

Below is a summary of the main questions and

decisions

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It was decided that a full community meeting be called to outline the reasoning for starting with the

spring protection. Working with the borehole requires a pump flow test to ascertain strength which

costs around 30K and due to distances from homesteads, the pump will need to be solar, also adding

considerably to costs. There is around 50K in the WRC-ESS research budget that can be used for

community implementation and with community contributions will be enough to protect spring 1 or 2,

provide 2 header tanks and pipelines with 2-3 standpipes with taps.

The community will need to agree to the fact that there isn’t presently funding to continue after the

spring protection is done and so some people will benefit, and some will not. The spring cannot

provide enough water for everyone, so the whole community cannot fetch water there.

Even the spring protection and the borehole if both can work and be implemented will not be able to

provide water for the whole community.

•No Access: ~17 Households

•Borehole Section 1: NE.~17 Households

•Borehole Section 2: N. ~ 33 Households

•Spring 1 (Scenario 2: OPTION 3): 10000l/24hrs.~30 Households Thus for the 17 hh below

the spring around 500l/day at a distance of 200-400m for one of three taps. If those who are

nearby, but without easy access to taps are also included, the no of hh goes up to around 28

and then around 210l/ day.

The committee decided on option three of the spring protection scenarios, as those households close

to the spring also need access.

| Erna Kruger

After the committee meeting and the full community meeting, the group who can benefit from the

spring protection need to have a meeting to discuss access, payment, labour contributions, a

committee of their own, decisions, and ongoing water management. There will need to be daily

opening and closing of valves and checking of water availability and decisions regarding maintenance

etc will also be ongoing.

A map with pins for households was

used with the group to make a list of

those who would be involved. This

map was updated again after

implmentation to take into account

the addition of newcomers nad

removal of some inactive

households. The list as at May 2022

is shown below

Above Left: the committee working

on naming the homesteads shown

on the small map

Table 1: Final list of participants involved and

where the collect water (23 households), May

2022

Pin no

Name and Surname

Access arrangement

Mzwandile Khumalo

Fetch from V-box

Thembeni Dubazane

Removed – no involvement

Sipho Msele

Tap

Mthethwa Mpinga

Tap

Baskiti Dubazane

Removed – people not around

Yaka Gumede

Tap

Nelisiwe Msele

Tap

| Erna Kruger

Mr Dubazane

Tap

Hlaleleni Duma

Tap

Baloza Dlamini

Tap

Thembi Mpinga

Tap

Ntombenhle Mkhize

Tap

Eunice Khumalo

Tap

Zakhele Nyoka

Tap

Mwelase

Tap

Zikode

Tap

Robert Mpinga

Tap – joined later when relaized water would be close

Leliwe Hlongwane

Tap

Mlamula Khumalo

Tap

P Nyoka

Tap

S’nothi Mazibuko

Tap

Maminya Msele

Tap

Dubula Msele

Tap

Dumisani Msele

Reomved- inactive

DelaniDuma

Fetch from V-box

Reserve Msele

Fetch from header tanks

Soleni Khumal

Fetch from V-box

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The committee discussed the issues of closing off a spring, both for cultural reasons and also for

individuals to have access at the source. They felt that as people and livestock can still access water

from the other springs in the wetland and the wetland itself, it would be okay for everyone. They did

say that spring 2 is much more reliable than spring 1, which does dry out sometimes. Although there

wasn’t agreement– some members felt that the spring just goes mainly underground in drier months.

The following two suggesitons made were taken inton acocunt in the implmentation:

1.Need a standpipe nad tap at the spring which will not affect the filling of the header

tanks

2.Lay the pipe in a way that will make it easy to swap to spring 2 if needed.

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The committee likes the idea of the 2 header tanks next to the road. There should be no access at

these tanks. There was a lot of discussion around other people coming in and stealing water and the

committee are aware of the possibilities of abuse of taps and the difficulties with this.They finally

suggested 3-4 taps, close ot homesteads where they can be wathced nad monitored.

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Mr Marechal also supplied a number of issues for discussion. These are summarized below.

For discussion:

1. Suitability of the central position proposed for the

tank/s. This position is near the village main access road

but finalisation depending on land ownership and suitable

positioning (advised by community). Note: The pipeline to

the tanks drops from the spring but then starts to rise

again from roughly midway along the route. The tank

position is showing on Google Earth as lower than the

spring but we can't really position it any higher than where

currently shown.

Yes,suitable. Next to the road. Close

to Nelisiwe Msele’s homestead. No

taps at header tanks

| Erna Kruger

2.Pipeline route from spring to be confirmed on site

taking into account homesteads, cultivated fields, terrain

etc

Yes, seems fine, Participants have

agreed, thatpipes can cross fields

etc, but will need to discuss on the

ground as well

3. Option 1: Tanks and access point in one central

position. Most housholds around this point are within

400m of the tank position. Household by spring and lower

households by bridge are around 600m from this point.

Option 2: Tank position same as in option 1. Water

reticulated to two access points (or more) to reduce

walking distance. The layout shown reduces walking

distance to the households to be served to within 400m

Option 3: Would be similar to option 2 with a third access

point to reduce walking distance to within 200m (water

supply guideline).

Yes, this includes most people– but

maybe not taps, but tanks, or

lockable taps…

The spring proposed for development is the larger of the

three. Perhaps some more discussion around community

issues with use of this point particularly regarding

livestock.

There was some discussion as to

whether this spring dries up during

drought years. Spring 2 definitely the

most reliable.

Availability of local rock to fill behind spring protection wall

/ chamber

Yes, in riverbed. Enviro champs will

assist with labour and building.

2.COMMUNITY MEETING DISCUSSIONS AND AGREEMENTS (27JANUARY 2022)

On the 25thof January a full community meeting (~55 participants) was held to discuss progress and

get the go ahead from the whole community to focus on protection and reticulation of Spring 1 for the

moment only; also with the understanding the funding for the proposed work on the borehole may or

may not materialize. In addition, community agreement needed to be firmed up, that water access for

the spring one system, would only be for members who can benefit from this- not for everyone in the

community and definitely not for people form outside. Spring 2 which is used heavily in the

community will be left as is to ensure open access and livestock can easily access water from the

wetland and stream surrounding these springs. Thus, the spring protection and reticulation does not

remove community access but improves infrastructure and access for those involved who have

contributed both with labour and financially.

For the Spring 1 protection, all community members who could benefit from this gravity fed system

were called to a meeting on 27thJanuary. Here the following issues were discussed and decided upon

after introduction of the WRC-

ESS process and progress with

planning to date. It was reported

that around R50000 could be

allocated from this budget for

the spring protection work

Community members would

need to contribute both

financially and with labour to dig

the ditches and the enviro

champs would assist with the

spring protection and reticulation

work as well. It was emphasized

that only those 26 people on the

list are part of this process.

| Erna Kruger

Right: Spring protection meeting with 27 community participants and the 9 enviro champs present.

There was a lot of discussion around people coming in with bakkies to take water and also people

from other parts of Stulwane and Emadakaneni feeling that they would also have a right to this water.

Participants felt it would be difficult to enforce this. It was emphasized that participants would need to

fetch water at the 3 proposed taps and not try to connect pipes and hoses to fill tanks at their homes.

It was also emphasized that people would need to do their washing at home and not at the taps. Then

itwas discussed that the two header tanks would provide 10000l of water per day. They would need

to fill up overnight. This would mean around 380l of water per household per day. Some households

are much larger than others with small units in the homesteadso they would have more than one

person collecting water. It was also discussed that the spring committee could provide access to

water to people for specific circumstances such as funerals, but that this water could not be used for

irrigation or building.

The following was decided

•Each participating household would pay R230 towards the water scheme. Monies will be

placed in a bank account and used by the committee for small maintenance tasks. Slips of all

expenditure are to be kept to be reported to the membership.

•If larger sums are required for any reason, this will be discussed with the participants and

further donations agreed upon.

•The header tanks and taps are to be place on the road, next to or very close to someone’s

homestead, so that those people can keep an eye on the infrastructure. People thought it

would cause trouble to have these in the households.

•It was agreed that the spring committee and any participants interested would join the

engineer and team to finalize the route of the pipes, to ensure they do not cross fields or

property that would become problematic. For the most part these pipes need to follow the

paths and roads.

•It was proposed that there are locks placed on the taps and that each household who has

paid their fee,will be provided with a key for the tap.

•Participants undertook to collect water only during the day to allow the tanks to fill up

overnight.

•All households undertook to be part of the labour force, or to employ someone who could help

with digging if theywere unable themselves.

•Mr Dubazane offered his tractor to start the process of loosening the ground for the digging of

the ditches, to make that process easier.

•It was emphasized that the youth team are not from the Council, but through MDF and the

community should not issue them. They are there to do agreed upon resource conservation

tasks, not just anything the community might need.

•It was also emphasized that the committee is made up of volunteers and that everyone

should work together and respect each other – as it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the

system works, not just that of the committee.

Here, they decided to elect a spring committee:

Name and Surname

Contact details

Baba Dubanzane

0826282627

Mxholisi Mkhize

0760790738

Nelisiwe Msele

0731504405

Hloniphile Sishi

0728158921

Phekelaphi Nyoka

0828697437

| Erna Kruger

Roles of committee members:

•Responsible for any issues arising with the water scheme

•Fix problems with any people not following the rules

•Allocate the use of water and ensure everyone who is eligible gets

•Check regularly that the system is working and used properly

•Open a bank account for the financial contributions and undertake small maintenance

activities.

•Call meetings with membership to report on usage, maintenance issues and get permission to

use funds for specific activities.

•Communicate with the community level water committee and also the Traditional Authority

and councilor.

•Request assistance from community level water committee for issues they cannot solve.

A discussion was held about the role of the Nkosi and councilor. The Nkosi has a representative, Mrs

Hlongwane in the village. The Spring committee undertook to inform her of this process and ensure

she is onboard. They felt that permission would not need to be obtained as the TA is only responsible

for land and it is a good idea for the community to start setting up structures themselves, to manage

their resources, as neither the TA nor the councilor will do this for them. They felt that as long as

these role players were well informed, they would not object or feel the need to interfere.

P&.31$%(*)/-4%'*/-+&(28+%*$%"*-(82.3$8+%*)2>(<(*

This localised community owned system, was initiated prior to the commencement of this project. A

similar community level process of allowing the community to frame their request and start the

process by setting up a water committee and doing the initial ‘water walks” and surveys was use.

Here a spring in a wetland was protected and reticulate d to 5000l header tanks with 4 taps

downstream (one added a little later by participants themselves. As it is a gravity fed system, ongoing

financial contributions are not required. 28 Households have been supported.

The spring supplies around 10 000l/24hrs.Thus for the 17 hh below the spring around 500l/day at a

distance of 200-400m for one of three taps. If those who are nearby, but without easy access to taps

are also included, as well as the participants linked to the 4thtap, the number of householdsgoes up

to 28with an allocation of ~200l - 380/day.

| Erna Kruger

Here, they decided to elect a spring committee:

Name and Surname

Contact details

Baba Dubanzane

0826282627

Mxholisi Mkhize

0760790738

Nelisiwe Msele

0731504405

Hloniphile Sishi

0728158921

Phekelaphi Nyoka

0828697437

Roles of committee members:

•Responsible for any issues arising with the water scheme

•Fix problems with any people not following the rules

•Allocate the use of water and ensure everyone who is eligible gets

•Check regularly that the system is working and used properly

•Open a bank account for the financial contributions and undertake small maintenance

activities.

•Call meetings with membership to report on usage, maintenance issues and get permission to

use funds for specific activities.

•Communicate with the community level water committee and also the Traditional Authority

and councilor.

•Request assistance from community level water committee for issues they cannot solve.

This scheme has been in operation since May2022. A document outlining the full process is provided

in Annexure 1. (“Stulwane committee spring protection and reticulation overall process including

operation and maintenance”).

| Erna Kruger

Figure 12: Right and Far right: A view of the

spring when ithe v-box was constructed in

may’22 and more recently in Feb’23, showing

also that the spring was subsequently fenced.

Figure 13: Below Left and Right: The 2 x5000l

header tanks at installation and recently in

Feb’23 – also fenced.

A conflict arose in January 2023, where a few households closest to the protected spring became

unhappy with their lack of easy access to the spring and to water. It was decided then to add two

more taps to the scheme (one at the spring and one at the header tanks, to allow reticulate access to

these households (4). They were previously expected to collect water from the spring itself and from

the header tank overflows but were not happy with this arrangement. These small changes were

supported through this project.

In a workshop on water and resource conservation mapping and action planning in April 2023, the

issue of water provision for the rest of the Stulwane community was raised. Further spring protection

and reticulation of the borehole close to the dip tank are to be considered.

A NOTE ON GOVERNANCE

The spring committee in Stulwanehas bene functioning well and has been actively supported by the

traditional ward councilor,Mrs Hlongwane. To date all participants have followed the broad

instructions and have also assisted in ensuring that people do not come from outside the village to

use this water. In the beginning people came from eMadakaneni and Eqeleni with bakkies to load up

with water. All participants in this scheme are satisfied with the scheme and with their access to

water.

| Erna Kruger

The spring committee has been very active. The small conflict around taps however did indicate that

for some levels of conflict and decision making still require a respected 3rdparty with ‘authority” in this

case Mahlathini, may still be required to make decisions and ensure positive actions and outcomes.

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Community members have been trained in using E coli testing kits (procured from Praecautio

laboratories in Hilton) to assess the quality of water in their water schemes. The eco champs (youth

employed part time to undertake resource conservation work in the communities) have been

responsible for administering these tests.

Water samples are incubated in pre-prepared test tubes in a “hotbox” for 24 hours. Colour reactions

indicate the presence of coliforms (brown) or E coli (green).

Figure 14: Right: An example of three E coli tests taken in the Stulwnae spring protection

scheme in 2022/ These have turned green indicating the presence of E coli.

After the contamination of the spring and water

system in March 2022, the community undertook to

build a swale above the spring in the wetland, as

they noticed that urn-off from the surrounding areas

flowed into the spring intake area and felt that this is

what caused the contamination. Subsequently the

tests have all been clear.

Stulwane

E Coli test results

Date

Time

Place

Colour

2022/02/17