For Department of Water and Sanitation to review
Department of Water and Sanitation has not yet seen this page. It describes the organisation only through what it has said or done, and through what others named here have said about it. The Forum has not approached Department of Water and Sanitation about anything. Until Department of Water and Sanitation has approved the text, it may change. Questions for Department of Water and Sanitation:
- Is this description of the department and its role on the Riviersonderend correct? What would you like to change?
- Could water that the valley’s wetlands add to the river below Theewaterskloof Dam be counted towards the river’s Reserve?
- Which office deals with releases from Theewaterskloof Dam down the Riviersonderend, for residents who want to ask about them?
- Should readers reach you through the moderators, or through a public contact?
The Department of Water and Sanitation is the national department responsible for water. It owns Theewaterskloof Dam [IC] and runs the scheme that shares its water, west to Cape Town and east down the Riviersonderend past the valley [IC]. It administers the National Water Act together with the Breede-Olifants Catchment Management Agency [IC].
What the letters in square brackets mean
Facts on this page are followed by a tag that shows where they come from.
- [IC] Independently Corroborated. Confirmed by an official record, such as a government notice or a court or council record, or by at least two sources that do not depend on each other.
- [MS] Mission-Sourced. Comes from the organisation’s own website or statements, from the statements of a group it works with, or from the Forum’s own records. It has not been checked against sources that do not depend on them.
- [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it from a reliable source yet.
At a glance
| Kind | Government |
| Based in | Not yet known |
| Website | dws.gov.za |
| Role | Owner and operator of Theewaterskloof Dam; administers the National Water Act [IC] |
| Link to the valley | Direct. It decides how much water is released down the river the valley’s rivers join |
| Contact with the Forum | Not approached |
What it does
Under the National Water Act the national government, acting through the department, is the public trustee of the country’s water [IC]. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, which held these duties earlier, published a strategy for the Western Cape Water Supply System in 2007 that is still cited on this site [TBV].
How its work reaches the valley
- Theewaterskloof Dam. It is the largest dam in the Western Cape Water Supply System, on the Riviersonderend near Villiersdorp, and the department owns it [IC].
- Releases down the river. Farmers along the Riviersonderend and the Overberg Water Board are entitled to water released from the dam [IC]. In the 2018 drought the department limited releases to irrigators to 60% of their allocation [IC].
- The Reserve. In August 2022 the department published the Reserve for the rivers of the Breede-Gouritz water management area, with figures for the Riviersonderend, the Baviaans, and the Gobos [IC]. The Reserve is the share of water the law keeps for people’s basic needs and for the river itself [IC].
Where it touches this site
- National Water Act, which names the department as the body that administers the Act, with its Western Cape regional office as the place to ask.
- From Water Access to Water Agency, an idea not yet agreed, which would ask the department whether water added below the dam could be counted. The department has not been asked.
- Ridge to River to Table and Restoring the River, ideas not yet agreed, which name the department among organisations whose views are needed.
What is still open
- Whether water added to the river below the dam could ever count towards the Reserve or towards releases. No source on this has been found.
- Which office handles releases down the Riviersonderend.
Have your say
If you know more about Department of Water and Sanitation’s work in the valley, contact the moderators via How to Submit.
Related
- Organisations Outside the Valley
- Breede-Olifants Catchment Management Agency
- Overberg Water Board
- City of Cape Town
- National Water Act
References
- Department of Water and Sanitation. Misinformation about water from Theewaterskloof Dam (January 2018). Releases from the dam to irrigators along the Riviersonderend and to the Overberg Water Board, curtailed to 60%.
- Department of Water and Sanitation. Reserve determination for water resources of the Breede-Gouritz Water Management Area. Government Gazette 46798, Notice 2428, 26 August 2022.
- Wikipedia. Theewaterskloof Dam. Its river, its owner, and its place in the Western Cape Water Supply System.
- Republic of South Africa. National Water Act 36 of 1998. LawLibrary. The Reserve and the duties of the department.
- Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. Western Cape Water Supply System Reconciliation Strategy Study (June 2007).