Be water- & budget-wise

Know your options for supplementing the municipal water supply in your home

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SAVING water is everybody’s business. The drought in the Western Cape and other regions of South Africa is just the beginning – water isn’t an inexhaustible resource. And while it’s possible to live without electricity, there’s no survival without water.

Apart from municipalities there are basically three water sources available for household use: rainwater, groundwater, and grey water.

YOU spoke to Gerhard Cronjé of Maskam Water, a business specialising in water-wise systems, about the costs involved in alternative water sources and being waterwise.

RAINWATER

The simplest way is catching it in water tanks from your home’s rain gutters. The cost of these tanks is roughly R1 000 per 1 000 litres, for example a 5 000-litre tank costs on average about R5 000*.

Add to this the price of a pump (about R2 000), filter (R1 000) and automatic switch (R1 000) and the total cost of erecting a large water tank next to your home is roughly R9 000*.

It’s important to note there are legal implications when you connect an alternative water source to the system that supplies your municipal water, Cronjé says. You need approval from the municipality for that.

You’ll also have to install an RPZ (reduced pressure zone) double-action backflow preventer (R4 500) which keeps the water supply from being contaminated with untreated water. This gadget keeps your water from entering the municipal water network (your water might contain pollutants or bacteria). The installation must also have municipal approval.

You also need local authority approval before you can sink a borehole, dig a well or install a grey-water system.

GROUNDWATER

Wells and boreholes are another alternative water source.

A well is usually dug and the diameter is quite wide, whereas a borehole is drilled by a machine and the diameter of the hole is small.

The cost depends among other things on how deep underground the water is and the type of soil. In sandy soil, having a well dug can easily cost R10 000 to R15 000.

If it has to be dug through rock, that amount can easily shoot up to R40 000.

The cost of sinking a borehole basically works out at R1 000 a metre. On some properties the water might be 30m underground, while on others it can be as deep as 150m – which would make this an expensive exercise.

Companies that sink boreholes would be able to recommend a geologist who’ll determine how deep the water is underground. Be sure to ask for a quotation beforehand.

It’s important to know that if you use alternative water sources you’re required by law to put up official warning signs at all points of access that the water isn’t suitable for drinking.

GREY WATER

This water that’s not suitable for drinking – it’s used for irrigation and cleaning such as flushing the toilet or washing the car.

Do it yourself

For about R5 000* you can buy a 120-litre EcoGator grey-water system for recycling your household water. The system usually includes a pump and filter. Pipes leading from your shower, washbasin, bath and washing machine are relayed to a central point where the water is filtered into a tank from where it’s pumped into your garden.

Kitchen water isn’t suitable, as the fatty residue and food particles can damage the pump or block the pipes, causing a health hazard.

With such a system the average household can reuse about 50-100 litres a person a day. The system isn’t meant to store water – it’s simply a central harvesting point before being pumped out. Cronjé advises buying one with a pre-filter or else the pump can become clogged.

Larger grey-water systems

Larger systems for long-term use have a filter to get rid of hair and fibres, a storage capacity, and aeration to keep grey water from rotting. Underground systems like these reroute all grey water automatically to a central storage point outside the house from where it can be pumped out.

This kind of system can cost between R25 000 and R90 000 for a home, depending on the type of system and its size. Cronjé says this might sound like a lot but consumers tend to save quite a bit on water costs in the long run, thereby recouping the initial capital input.

OTHER EXPENSES

One of the most obvious expenses during times of water shortage is buying bottled water. Depending on the supplier, it can cost more than R5 a litre. But if you buy in bulk you can bring the cost down significantly.

GET HELP HERE

▶ Water-saving tips: capetown.gov.za

▶ Sponsoring water for animals: waterforpaws.co.za thewaterproject.org

* All costs are estimates and calculations exclude VAT. Costs vary depending on the supplier.