Water

Overview

Water infrastructure consists mostly of reservoirs and pipelines of Sedibeng Water. These supply mainly the Goldfields region and the mines with water from the Vaal River near Bothaville and to a lesser extent from the Sand River. Main reservoirs are east of Allanridge, in Welkom, north and south of Virginia. Pump stations are east of Allanridge and at Virginia where purification plant also exists.

Other water infrastructure resources were constructed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry including dams in Allemanskraal and Erfenis and canals serving the Sand – Vet irrigation scheme. In the south and western region no bulk water supply systems exist except the irrigation canals along the Modder River.

All towns are thus dependent on ground water extraction. Farmers are also dependent on ground water, but the quality varies substantially becoming more brackish further west.

The town of Brandfort extracts water from the Vet river south-west of Theunissen, which is then pumped along the road to Brandfort. The north-western and northern areas of the region have access to the Vaal River system.

There are also the Erfenis and Allemanskraal dams in Masilonyana that can supply water to the surrounding areas of the municipality. The following table below provides statistical analysis of the current reticulation levels of potable water to households throughout the district.