Event Debrief: Groundwater, Boreholes, and Water Use Licences (GWD, IAH-SA)

06 Aug 2020

Elanda

Western Cape Branch

Events

Groundwater

WUL

eWULA

EIA

specialist reports

Groundwater is not private property, and the use of groundwater requires a water use license or a general authorization. This is imperative for most environmental impact assessments, requiring even ongoing monitoring for the foreseeable future. The GWD together with the IAH-SA called together a group of dynamic ladies to present their experiences and findings around this very relevant topic that came up a number of times during social media discussions and via email queries received.

Event Debrief: Groundwater, Boreholes, and Water Use Licences (GWD, IAH-SA)

Groundwater is not private property, and the use of groundwater requires a water use licence, or a general authorization. This is imperative for most environmental impact assessments, requiring even ongoing monitoring for the foreseeable future.

The GWD together with the IAH-SA called together a group of dynamic ladies to present on their experiences and findings around this very relevant topic that came up a number of times during social media discussions and via email queries received. This event was opened by Mr Fanus Fourie, GWD National Chairperson, moderated by Prof Matthys Dippenaar (UP, current IAH-SA President) and Mr Julian Conrad (current IAH-SA Secretary and immediate past president of the IAH-SA).

" Welcome to all attendees to this very relevant topic we would like to address today. With more than 28,000 registered water users that are using groundwater on the DWS database (WARMS database) we can see that groundwater use is very important and its importance is only rising. The race is really on for everybody to take their fair share but with this there is a lot of challenges and frustration - not only on the applicant’s side but also on the groundwater specialists and the regulator side and that is precisely what we want to address today."
F Fourie

PRESENTERS AND TOPICS

Short presentations during a live panel webinar with experts:

Should you license your groundwater use?
What is the requirements from the Department?
What water uses require licensing?
Do I need a hydrogeologist/ geohydrologist?
How do I apply for a water use licence?
What needs to be covered in the groundwater report?
What should I get from my groundwater scientist?
Lessons learnt and how-to tips!

Topics and Presenters
Facilitated by Prof Matthys Dippenaar – University of Pretoria

To license or not to license groundwater: let us answer that question
Melissa Lintnaar-Strauss – DWS

Melissa Lintnaar-Strauss has been working for the Department of Water and Sanitation for 16 years as a scientist manager in the resource protection unit of the Western Cape Provincial office. She is trained as an environmental scientist and professionally registered water resources scientist. Since joining the Department she has been working in various water management areas, gaining experience in water resource management, surface water quality planning, pollution management in the mining, industrial, winery, agricultural and domestic water use sectors. She is also involved with a lot of stakeholder engagements programs.

What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine. Or is it?
Jodie Coetzee – GEOSS

Jodi Coetzee (MA PolSci) is a project consultant and heads up the Water Use Licence Applications business unit at GEOSS. GEOSS, based in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, provides a range of services related to groundwater and earth sciences and promotes the responsible use of groundwater and related resources. Jodi has a background in political science and policy analysis and brings a different approach to the groundwater space. Mostly involved in client liaison, she focuses on assisting clients with groundwater use motivations as they relate to Section 27 of the National Water Act 36 (1998).

How to authorise your water use: the process
Kate Cain - GCS Pty Ltd

Kate Cain is the Water Use Authorisation Unit Manager at GCS Water and Environment (Pty) Ltd. She has 11 years’ experience and is registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals as a Professional Natural Scientist. She has had extensive experience in the National Water Act 36 (1998) and its associated regulations. She specialises in the compilation and application for water use licenses and authorisations in terms of these legal requirements

The technical geohydrology report – and all that jazz
Preanna Naicker - GEOSS

Preanna Naicker (BSc(Hons)) Hydrogeologist at GEOSS (Stellenbosch), a groundwater and earth sciences company invested in the sustainable use of groundwater. She has 3 years of experience and knowledge in various areas of expertise within the industry, including groundwater exploration and licensing. Well versed, skilled and has a sound track record in the compilation and submission of various types of licence applications, with a focus on hydrogeological characterisation and analysis. In particular with the required technical geohydrological study associated with Section 21 (a) of the National Water Act 36 (1998).

Water use licensing: the in's and the out's
Elkerine Rossouw - BGCMA

Elkerine Rossouw is a Water Use Specialist employed at the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency, since 2010. With her knowledge on the electronic licensing application platform of the Department Water and Sanitation, she will provide an overview of the current licensing procedures and the basic requirements for application.

Due to the number of questions received via the QUESTIONNAIRE distributed to registrants before the event as well as questions posted during the LIVE EVENT, the GWD & IAH-SA together with the Panel are finalizing a comprehensive Q&A document in response. This document will be released shortly (early August), posted on this site (as well as the IAH-SA) and all attendees will be informed.

Thank you to all the Respondents to our QUESTIONNAIRE. This gave us great insight into the AUDIENCE PROFILE as well as the most relevant ISSUES & INFORMATION PROFILE. (Please note that these statistics are based on the Questionnaire responses only and do not reflect the overall status within the formal WULA process)

Herewith acknowledgment that through the efforts of Nicola Domoney and Megan Hugo from Indwe Environmental Consultants, we were able to pick up on a formula error on our attendee stats. Below the updated statistics noting adjustment of final attendee numbers from 183 to 225. Much appreciated!

""" — During the event Q&A session, although with an extreme time constraint, Mr Julian Conrad was able to table some of the questions received to the panel. Herewith a brief summary of the responses. Please note that the live responses are just that, and will either be elucidated on or summerised with the formal feedback document.

*Melissa pre-application meeting [TRANSCRIPTION]:* Julian I just want to indicate the Department is fully up and running as far as license applications are concerned and officials are willing to go out do site visits if they have to. The officer working with you application will indicate and it also depends on the type of application you dealing with e.g. if it is a license application and its complicated, a pre-application meeting will definitely be asked for; for a simple application that we know exactly what is asked for and are sure about water uses you want to apply for, you will be guided by the officer working on you application.
**We are receiving requests throughout the period and we are assessing applications.**

"Elkerine on Schedule 1 use [TRANSCRIPTION] — *Elkerine on Schedule 1 use [TRANSCRIPTION]:* Schedule 1 is a small volume for household use, for a small garden. A small garden qualifies when it is not used for commercial use. If you have your own fruit trees in your backyard, it is still seen as a small garden. So what is a volumetric limit? From the BGCMA’s point of view we look at the lowest volume that can be allocated from within a General Authorisation (GA) and that is 2000 m3 per/annum and for anything more than that we request a General Authorization application as such.
In terms of of the multiple households from a single borehole on one property: Yes, it is still Schedule 1 but if you are going to use that water for drinking water then you must make sure that you are registered with your water services provider (WSP) which is normally your local municipality / district municipality (as a WSP and not an authority). There is bylaws that actually specifically talks to that, so if you are doing that, you should also speak to your municipality.

TALK RESOURCES & CPD

Attendees that REGISTERED and noted their attendance during the event (via the CHAT window) AND selected the questionnaire option: will request an attendance proof - were issued with Attendance/ CPD Certificates.
Feel free to contact us should you not have received, via [email protected].
Regards, GWD EXCO