Rand Water has successfully completed the maintenance of the F5 Pipeline in Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM), which commenced on Saturday, June 22. The first phase of this extensive proactive maintenance project was finished nine hours ahead of schedule.
The largest bulk water utility in Africa and one of the largest in the world, providing bulk potable water to more than 11 million people in Gauteng, parts of Mpumalanga, the Free State and North West – an area that stretches over 18 000 km2 started its extensive proactive maintenance of its infrastructure from 22 June to 29 July 2024.
Tech and Infrastructure
According to Rand Water, proactive infrastructure maintenance is important to preserve the quality and integrity of their infrastructure, technology and extend the life span of their assets. Rand Water has four main booster stations: Eikenhof, Palmiet, Mapleton, and Zwartkopjes Systems.
Some areas in the municipality are currently without water
The project in MCLM involved connecting the F16 Pipeline to new meters on the new F5 Pipeline. Throughout this period, regular water pumping operations were unaffected, with only one meter experiencing any impact.
This highly publicized project is part of Rand Water’s proactive infrastructure maintenance efforts aimed at preserving the integrity and quality of potable water, ensuring an uninterrupted supply to its municipal customers. It should be noted that the entire maintenance operation will occur on different dates and will affect various municipalities.
Next phase of the project
The next phase of the maintenance project commenced on June 24, 2024, at the Eikenhof, Zwartkopjes, and Mapleton Systems. At the Eikenhof system, the maintenance will include cleaning the Sedimentation Tank at the Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant (VWTP) and interconnecting the Waterval 1 and 2 Reservoirs within the Eikenhof System. Normal pumping will be reduced to 50% for eight (8) hours and subsequently increased to 67% for the remaining 64 hours.
Rand Water will replace a faulty valve at the VWTP in the Zwartkopjes System, leading to a 50% reduction in pumping for 27 hours. Maintenance at Trichardt involves upgrading the transformer for increased power supply capacity, with no impact on water supply due to generators at Trichardt. Work at the Palmiet System will start on Friday, June 28, 2024. Rand Water will provide further details on all maintenance restarting on July 1, 2024.
Infrastructure maintenance key to extend lifespan
Undertaking this maintenance is crucial for preserving Rand Water’s infrastructure integrity and quality, thereby extending asset lifespan. Following Communication Protocol, Rand Water has formally notified municipal customers with a 21-day notice period to prepare contingency plans and manage storage capacity. Municipalities are requested to inform their customers about any potential water supply disruptions in their areas.
Rand Water will provide updates throughout the maintenance period.
Source: Rand Water
