Groundwater levels

Zachariashoek  catchment  was  one  of  the  study  areas  looking  into  the  hydrological characteristics  of winter rainfall catchments in the Western Cape. Nearly thirty years of historical data are available for the Zachariashoek area. This data include rainfall, gauge plate readings for the weirs, and water levels for the boreholes in the area. Numerous articles and reports had been written  about  the  research  done  in  the  area,  concentrating  mostly  on  the  effects  of  fire  on streamflow and vegetation.

A review of groundwater levels in the greater Cape Town area toward the end of the 2017 summer revealed that groundwater levels had not yet been impacted by the below average rainfall over the past two to three years. This is in contrast to the dam levels which reached record lows, necessitating the implementation of strict water restrictions in the city. This buffer between drought and impact to aquifers is well known, and is a characteristic of many groundwater systems.