MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Assuming the water consumption remains constant and there is no rainfall, Mossel Bay is currently left with about 380 days of water.
This is based on the average daily consumption - 25.87 million litres per day - measured during November 2025, said the Mossel Bay Municipality on Wednesday 21 January.
The municipal manager, Colin Puren, implemented water restrictions on Monday 12 January in response to the area’s total available water supply having dropped to between 60% and 50%.
Aside from general water consumption, contributing factors that led to these restrictions include below-average rainfall and warmer temperatures. The municipality added that the widespread vegetation fire about two weeks ago “naturally may have placed additional strain on water resources”.
Why not earlier?
Questions were immediately raised as to why these restrictions had not been implemented prior to the holiday season, which came with an influx of visitors.
The municipality said despite an increase in daily water usage over this time, the restrictions were not implemented because the dam levels did not necessitate it.
This is in terms of the Mossel Bay Municipality’s Water Services By-law and the Water Demand Management Policy the municipality uses with dam levels and the total available water supply.
Asked how much water Mossel Bay generally uses per day outside the holiday seasons, the municipality said the average daily volume of water purified was 23.8ML - one megalitre being 1 000 000 litres. “The water usage increases to 31ML per day during peak periods,” it said.
According to the municipality, there is currently 9.83 million cubic metres of water in the Wolwedans Dam, allocated to the municipality. Water restrictions will be lifted once the dam levels recover.
Current dam levels
| Wolwedans: This week - 58.41% Last week - 58.73% This time last year - 91.09% | Klipheuwel: This week - 13.48% Last week - 13.8% This time last year - 57.31% | Ernest Robertson: This week - 27.78% Last week - 4.25% This time last year - 89.35% |
The Wolwedans Dam as on Wednesday 21 January. Photo: Christiaan Stopforth
The Wolwedans Dam level clearly seen as on Tuesday 20 January. Photo: Gabriélla Siebritz
Mossel Bay’s water supply
Mossel Bay has a variety of water sources, including dams, rivers, boreholes and the desalination plant in Voorbaai. Of these, Wolwedans has the biggest capacity at 24ML, the plant being second at 15ML (5ML of which is for PetroSA) and Klipheuwel Dam third with 4.5ML.
The desalination plant was built in 2010/11 when the Southern Cape experienced “the worst drought in 130 years”, said the municipality. It will be operated at full capacity when the dam level drops below 30%, as per the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) operating rules.
“The plant is not mothballed, but it is placed on zero mode and it is maintained as a fully functional facility. Outside of drought periods, it is used during breakdowns and repairs on the bulk water infrastructure between the Wolwedans Dam and the Langeberg Reservoir.”
According to the municipality, the operating cost to supply potable water from the plant is about double the dam’s. The plant currently costs about R25/kL, while the dam is around R12/kL.
That would amount to R25 000 per day for 1ML.
Complying with water restrictions
Mossel Bay Advertiser visited the Wolwedans Dam this week and spoke with Cobus Visagie, the DWS’s control officer of the dam’s control water. Visagie oversees the dam’s daily operations, maintenance and safety.
He told the Advertiser the water restrictions undoubtedly help in managing our water supply until enough rain has fallen to raise the dam levels.
Visagie recently spoke with some farmers in the area regarding compliance with the recent restrictions when it comes to maintaining their crops. He says they are all willing to do their part, and he encourages Mossel Bay’s residents to do the same.
“If everyone works together, it can go a long way,” he said.
* The Mossel Bay Municipality’s director of infrastructure services, Dick Naidoo, and senior manager water and sanitation, Eric Louw, discuss water supply networks, water restrictions and the desalination plant on the municipality’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJlm9xXgIzI
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