Tritium

The Lower Berg River Aquifer System, situated in the Western Cape province of South Africa, is important to the towns that overlay it, as they rely on the aquifer for water supply, which supplements industrial development and residential growth. This aquifer system is important because surface water resources in the area are finite and fully allocated. Despite studies on the Lower Berg River Aquifer System since 1976, knowledge of the geological layers, recharge and discharge areas, and groundwater flow paths remain limited.

Understanding the sensitivity of groundwater resources to surface pollution and changing climatic conditions is essential to ensure its quality and sustainable use. However, it can be difficult to predict the vulnerability of groundwater where no contamination has taken place or where data are limited. This is particularly true in the western Sahel of Africa, which has a rapidly growing population and increasing water demands.

Large scale groundwater abstraction is increasingly being used to support large urban centres particularly in areas of low rainfall but presents particular challenges in the management and sustainability of the groundwater system. The Table Mountain Group (TMG) Aquifer is one of the largest and most important aquifer systems in South Africa and is currently being considered as an alternative source of potable water for the City of Cape Town, a metropolis of over four million people.

Environmental isotope and hydrochemical analyses were employed to improve existing understanding of groundwater flow dynamics in the defunct mine for assessing the source of water at a pumping shaft located near Stilfontein Town, Northwest Province, South Africa. Currently pumping is done using the shaft at an average rate of 37,000 m3 /day to prevent flooding of downstream mines.

With an increasing population, development of the country and a changing climate, an increased demand for fresh water, coupled with negatively impacted natural water resources, are observed. One impacted component of the water resource may have an impact on another, due to the interaction between water resource components in the water cycle. All water resource components need to be well-managed and protected to ensure their availability and sustainability. Studies on water quantities, flow dynamics, quality, and contamination are essential in this regard.