extreme climate

Episodic Groundwater Recharge Around Extreme Climatic Conditions in Beaufort West

Due to its location in a dry and arid part of South Africa, Beaufort West relies on groundwater as a crucial source of freshwater for the town. Although there have been fluctuations over the years, groundwater levels in the area have progressively dropped due to unsustainable abstraction from wellfields. The general flow of groundwater in the town, which is from the North where the Nuweveld mountains are situated to the town dyke in the South, is dictated by major dykes in the area.