Planned water supply maintenance for 18 - 22 September 2023
17 September 2023
The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will be doing planned work in the identified areas, which will result in water supply disruptions. The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused. This critical work is done on our water supply infrastructure to benefit customers. Residents in the affected areas are encouraged to take note of the work that will take place.
Maintenance work – Pipe and valve installations, repairs and replacements
This work will result in the water supply disruption to these areas:
1. Macassar, Kramat and Sandvlei areas
The water supply to these areas will be shut off from 09:00 until 16:00 on Monday, 18 September 2023 for emergency repairs. This will enable the maintenance team to safely replace a damaged section of the 250mm diameter water main to these areas.. Water tankers will be providing water for domestic consumption where required.
2. Knole Park, Ottery
The water supply to this area will be shut-off from 08:00 until 19:00 on Monday, 18 September 2023. This will enable the maintenance team to safely install a 300mm water meter. A water tanker will be placed in the area to provide water for domestic consumption. This work was postponed from 14 September 2023 due to inclement weather,
3. Welgedacht (Welgemoed)
The water supply main to this area will be shut-off from 10:00 until 15:00 on Tuesday, 19 September 2023, to enable the maintenance team to remove a redundant PRV on the main water supply pipeline.
4. Parts of Elfindale
The water supply to Woodville, Maybank, Shipman, Jenkins, Chadwin Roads and Mignon, Punt and Keswick Streets will be shut off from 09:00 until 17:00 on Tuesday, 19 September 2023. This will enable the maintenance team to do a tie-in on the main water supply to the area.
5. Northern parts of the city – Durbanville, Kraaifontein, Bloekombos, Wallacedene, Joostenbergvlakte and Bellville
The Wemmershoek Water Treatment Plant will be shut down for maintenance from 24:00 on Thursday, 21 September 2023 until 24:00 on Friday, 22 September 2023. The Drakenstein and Stellenbosch municipalities as well as private consumers along the Wemmershoek pipeline have already been informed. Residents in the northern parts of the City are kindly requested to reduce their water consumption during this period.
6. Gordon’s Bay
The water supply main to this area will be shut-off from 20:00 on Wednesday, 20 September 2023 overnight until 04:00 on Thursday, 21 September 2023, to enable the maintenance team to do a tie-in on the main water supply pipeline.
This work forms part of the Water and Sanitation Directorate’s proactive infrastructure maintenance and upgrade programme which ensures the future continuity of water supply by addressing the issue of unaccounted for water.
Zero-pressure tests (ZPT) and conditional assessments
This work will result in water supply disruptions to these areas:
1. Athlone, Belthorn Estate, Crawford , Belgravia, Penlyn Estate, Rylands, Hazendal and Mount View.
Step-testing will be done on the water supply network in these areas from 21:00 on Thursday, 21 September 2023, overnight until 04:00 on Friday, 22 September 2023. This will enable the maintenance team to divide the water supply area into smaller zones to map the water supply into the area.
Pressure management installations and operations
Zero-pressure testing and step-testing are part of the installation process for pressure management technology. Tests are done in advance to see if any unmapped inflows need to be considered before installing smart pressure-reducing valves.
In these affected areas, some residents may experience low water pressure, and some may have no water coming out of their taps for some time during this overnight testing period. It is not possible to predict which areas or streets will experience disruptions.
Conditional testing on the other hand ensures that the pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) in the water supply network are operating effectively and managing the pressures at the determined settings to preserve the lifespan of the pipeline and reduce the occurrence of water wastage resulting from pipe bursts. Pressure fluctuations may be experienced, but will be minimised as far as possible.
This work forms part of the City’s Water Demand Management Strategy. Managing water pressure more effectively reduces the possibility of pipe bursts and water wastage.
The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused.
What residents need to know about larger-scale planned
water supply disruptions:
1. Careful consideration has been given to the planning
of this work to ensure it is being done at a time that is
least disruptive to the water supply.
2. All sites where water and sanitation repairs and
upgrades are conducted are deemed to be construction
sites and, as such, are off-limits to members of the public.
3. Sometimes the maintenance work can be more complex
than anticipated, which means the work could take longer.
4. For a short period after the supply has been restored,
the water may be discoloured or look milky. This is because
of trapped air in the pipes. If left to stand in a glass, the
appearance will become clear, like normal.
For updates on the maintenance work (and location of tankers
where applicable), follow @CityofCTAlerts which is a City of
Cape Town Twitter account.
How residents are advised to prepare for planned water
supply disruptions:
1. Store enough water in clean, sealed containers in
advance for use during this period.
2. Keep your taps closed to prevent any water loss and/or
damage when the water supply is restored.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
