Rietspruit WWTW

GIBB Environmental (Pty) Ltd (GIBB Environmental) has been appointed as the independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) by GIBB (Pty) Ltd on behalf of the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) to undertake the application process for Environmental Authorisation (EA), subject to a Basic Assessment (BA) process for the Rietspruit WWTW and associated conveyances project.

The Applicant, ELM, has identified the need for the Sedibeng Regional Sanitation Scheme (SRSS) project. The SRSS is a project which aims to create bulk sanitation capacity in the Sedibeng region, deliver effective solutions to prevent pollution of water resources and unlock development projects that require sanitation services within the Emfuleni and Midvaal Municipal areas including the Sebokeng, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging and Meyerton sewage catchments. The Rietspruit WWTW and associated conveyances project forms part of the overall SRSS.

A total treatment capacity of 104 Mℓ/day is required by 2035 for the South Emfuleni catchment. Parts of the South Emfuleni catchment drains to Rietspruit WWTW and Leeuwkuil WWTW. The Rietspruit WWTW currently comprises a 20 Mℓ/day Biological Nutrient Removal Activated Sludge (BNRAS) Plant and a 16 Mℓ/day Biofilter Plant. Future planning for the catchment has allowed for the decommissioning of the 16 Mℓ/day Biofilter Plant at Rietspruit WWTW and the existing 20 Mℓ/day BNRAS plant is to be upgraded to a regional works with a total capacity of 70 Mℓ/day.

ELM therefore intends to increase the Rietspruit WWTW capacity with an additional 70 Mℓ/day per day and construction of sewerage pipeline conveyances for approximately 51 km in length, which in turn will improve sludge management at the plant and cater for future planned developments. This project will accommodate sewage flows from the south Sebokeng catchment, Vereeniging catchment and Vanderbijlpark catchment and cater for the future planned development. In addition, the project will allow the integration of the Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark catchment to create flexibility in the sewerage system for both catchments, and to allow for transfer of sewage from Vanderbijlpark catchment to the regional Rietspruit WWTW.

In addition to the above, the project will also include the upgrading and refurbishing of one pumpstation (pumpstation 41) located on the property of Emerald Resort and Casino (26°44'18.34"S; 27°52'9.65"E). Pumpstation 41 falls within the Vereeniging catchment and is designed to cater for the project sewage flow.

The application covers only the sections of pipeline that actually triggers listed activities (i.e. sections of pipeline that are in sensitive environments) in total approximately 2 km, and not the entire pipeline route of 51 km.