One of the issues the BBHOA receives many enquiries about is our water supply. Water outages or issues with water quality are a concern of many residents.
Our hamlet is very fortunate to have its own water treatment plant – few hamlets and villages of our size in South Africa are so well accommodated. Our water is drawn from deep boreholes and treated on site before being distributed to homes. The BBHOA was kindly invited to view the facility in 2023. You can see an overview of our visit and the issues discussed HERE.
Water Supply versus Demand
The Overstrand Municipality continuously monitors the Baardskeerdersbos water supply versus demand. Below is the latest annual water requirement graph for Baardskeerdersbos, up to June 2024. The green bars are the actual use, which remains far below the sustainable yield of the wellfield, as well as the authorized volume allowed to be abstracted. At the current top projected growth on demand, the supply will only overtake the demand long after 2040.
Bbos Water Treatment Works
There are three issues that typically cause concern among homeowners.
Chlorine smell
Our water supply is periodically chlorinated to kill microbes. This tends to happen in mega-doses at periodic times of the year – typically the change of seasons when microbe populations peak. At these times homeowners may detect a chlorine odour in the water and this may persist on the skin after washing. The levels added to the water – even during mega-dosing – never exceed the SANAS recommended guidelines for safe drinking water. Although chlorination does have some drawbacks, it remains the most popular, dependable, and cost-effective method of water disinfection worldwide, including North America and here in South Africa.
More detailed technical information is available in this fact sheet from North America.
Black water
Our water is periodically affected by high sediment loads that give it an unsightly black colour. This typically occurs after severe load shedding when the treatment plant may be without power for up to 12 hours per day or during extreme weather. It is a situation that affects many other local communities including rural villages and some parts of Hermanus.
You can find a report on the situation experienced following the severe cut-off low in September 2023 HERE. This water is not safe to drink and residents should keep a supply of bottled water on hand for these situations. Fortunately the black water can be quickly flushed from the system and these conditions do not last long.
Water Pressure
The third query that residents most frequently ask the BBHOA about regards our water pressure at the point at which it emerges from taps. The water pressure varies substantially from Main Road (often very high) to higher up on Olienhout Laan (frequently quite low). Unfortunately, the reasons for this are quite technical and difficult for the Municipality to resolve given the topography of the hamlet and the small size of our water supply system. The explanation from the Municipality can be found HERE.
Residents that are affected by high water pressure may find it necessary to install a water pressure control valve in their homes to manage this.
Baardskeerdersbos Home Owners Association 