Identifying potential areas suitable for managed aquifer recharge in Saldanha bay, Western Cape

Abstract

The West Coast in the Western Cape of South Africa is a water-scarce area. Pressure from population and industrial growth, recurring droughts and climate change has resulted in an increasing urgency in the West Coast to increase the available water resources. Saldanha Bay is dependent on both surface water and groundwater as part of its bulk water supply system for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. Where the natural groundwater recharge is no longer sufficient to meet the growing groundwater needs, practices such as Managed Aquifer Recharge can be used to improve the sustainability of these groundwater resources. The Lower Berg aquifer systems, focusing on the Langebaan Road and Hopefield wellfields, were evaluated to determine whether Managed Aquifer Recharge systems could be implemented nearby to improve the sustainability of this scarce water resource.