USE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL WATER ACT, 1998 (ACT 36 OF 1998) TO REGULATE PACKAGE PLANTS

1. USE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL WATER ACT, 1998 (ACT 36 OF 1998) TO REGULATE PACKAGE PLANTS Department of Water Affairs and Forestry

2. Increasing risk of impacts Licences High potential risk if impact uncontrolled Must register General Authorisations Common use – low risk of impacts Registration in most cases Schedule one water use Widespread use – minimal or no risk of impacts No registration required

3. General Authorisations • Published in Govt Gazette,26 March 2004 • Reviewed every 5 years • Objectives: • authorise water use that exceeds Schedule One definitions, but does not impact on a water resource or any other persons water use, property or land and exceed the capacity of that resource or the needs of other users • alleviate burden of issuing licenses to certain minor water users

4. General Authorisations – 21 (e) (irrigation of wastewater) Registration of the water use • Irrigation of wastewater can only take place: • above the 1:100 floor line of a water resource or alternatively, • more than 100 metres from the edge of a water resource or a borehole which is utilised for drinking water or stock watering, which ever is further; • andon land that is not, or does not, overlie a MajorAquifer

5. General Authorisations – 21 (e) (irrigation of wastewater) Wastewater quality requirements for irrigation of up to 2000 m3/per day:

6. Monitoring requirements for irrigation with wastewater • the quantity must be metered and the total recorded • weekly • the quality must be monitored monthly as at the last day of each month by grab sampling, at the point at which the wastewater enters the irrigation system • map demarcating the area utilised for irrigation • details of crops under irrigation • irrigation management techniques • management/control of contaminated runoff from the • irrigation area, odour & nuisance control

7. General Authorisations – 21 (f)) Discharge to a water resource • Does not apply to a person who discharges wastewater: • through sea outfalls; • to an aquifer; • any other groundwater resource; or • any water resource with a closed drainage system "domestic wastewater" means wastewater arising from domestic and commercial activities and premises, and may contain sewage "domestic wastewater discharge" means a wastewater discharge consisting of 90% or more domestic wastewater, by volume, that is collected, treated and subsequently disposed of

8. General Authorisations – 21 (f)) Discharge to a water resource Must register the water use with DWAF May discharge up to 2000 m3/per day of wastewater to a water resource that is not a listed water resource, provided the General Limit Values (GLV’s) are compiled to. May discharge up to 2000 m3/per day of wastewater to a water resource that is a listed water resource, provided the Special Limit Values (SLV’s) are compiled to.

11. Monitoring requirements for discharge of wastewater to a water resource • the quantity of the discharge must be metered and the total recorded weekly • details of failures and malfunctions in the discharge system and details of measures taken • the quality of domestic wastewater discharges must be monitored monthly by grab sampling and analysed for specific substances and parameters as per the table below:

13. Some problems experienced with package plants • Consistent non-compliance to the General Limit Values (GLV’s) contained in the General Authorisations. Particularlyammoniaand E. coliand occasionallyCOD • Excessive use of detergents and other cleaning agents • Operational and maintenance problems • Monitoring requirements – results not submitted to DWAF regularly

15. Translation: Norwegian to English BLONDIN