OUR WORK
View Recent Projects
year
Project Title
Client
The revision of the PES and EI and EA for the Olifants, Berg, Breede and Gouritz catchment management areas
Landcare environmental management programme for nine rivers situated in the Cape Winelands, Overberg and Eden districts of the Westen Cape
Ecological Reserve determination of the G30F60 catchment areas including Verlorenvlei
Steenbras dam water supply development project vegetation rehabilitation
The compilation of a Maintenance and Management Plan (MMP) for the Berg River Zone 1, 2 and 3 (Berg River Dam to Sonquasdrift)
The compilation of a Maintenance and Management Plan (MMP) for the Upper Olifants River catchment
The classification of significant water resources in the Olifants-Doorn Water Management Area (WMA 17)
Integrated Water Resources Management Plan for the Sandveld, Olifants-Doorn Water Management Area, Western Cape
Zutari
2020 - 2023
Dept of Agriculture (Land Care) Western Cape
DWS
Citrusdal Water User Association
Dept of Agriculture (Land Care) Western Cape
DWS
DWS
WRC and DWS
2023 - 2025
2023 - 2024
2019
2020 - 2023
2019 - 2021
2008
2016 - 2017
2008 - 2010
Our water resource management services include:
- Rivers and wetlands impact assessments for EIA decision making processes
- River and wetland rehabilitation plans and implementation
- Wetland rehabilitation plans and implementation
- Water use authorisation applications (WULA)
- Biomonitoring or rivers (including SASS macro-invertebrates, fish and water quality)
- Water use compliance auditing (internal auditing)
- Water use compliance monitoring and reporting for license holders (including water quality sampling and measurements)
- Ecological Reserve determination of rivers and wetlands
- River Maintenance and Management Plans (MMP)
- NEMBA – alien vegetation assessment and management plans
RIVER RIPARIAN ZONE AND WETLAND REHABILITATION
We undertake riparian zone and wetland rehabilitation and restoration projects and provide detailed plans for rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems. We have undertaken the following projects recently:
- 2022 - 2026: City of Cape Town vegetation restoration and rehabilitation contractor;
- 2019 - 2021: City of Cape Town TMG groundwater development project at Steenbras – restoration and rehabilitation of terrestrial and riparian zone vegetation.
- 2017 – 2018: Planning and compilation of the Eerste River riparian zone rehabilitation and in Stellenbosch.
- 2017 – 2018: Compilation of an ecosystem management plan for the De Zalze Estate and the Blaauwklippen River.
- 2016 – 2017: Sitari Klein Zeekoevlei wetland design and planning for the Sitari development.
- 2015- 2016: Wetland and river rehabilitation plan and implementation at Teslaarsdal.
- 2013 – 2016: BlueScience (Pty) Ltd has managed one of the largest riparian zone rehabilitation projects in South Africa in the Berg and Breede rivers in the Western Cape. This was a three year project utilising the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) to create job opportunities for unemployed people in the Western Cape. More than 50 000 plants were cultivated each year and planted into the riparian zones of rivers.
- 2012 – 2014: Cape Town Film Studios – compilation of a dune slack wetland rehabilitation plan and alien vegetation removal plan and supervised the alien vegetation removal from the dune slack wetlands and Swartland Renosterveld.
- 2014: Wemmersvlei wetland area restoration (Franshoek). Compilation and implementation of wetland restoration within ESKOM servitude.
- 2011: Planning and management of the Adopt-A-River clean-up project in which our team cleared more than 50 tons of refuse and waste from the Eerste and Plankenburg rivers in Stellenbosch.
BIOMONITORING
RIVERS
We conduct water use authorisation compliance audit assessment and compliance monitoring for water use license holders.
- 2020 – 2021: Biomonitoring of the Berg River for the Drakenstein Local Municipality in compliance with the water use license conditions.
- 2010 – 2011: Free State River Health monitoring programme – undertook river health monitoring on a quarterly basis at approximately 70 sites across the province for a period of one year.
- 2000 – 2007: Western Cape River Health Programme - Toni Belcher was the River Health programme champion in the Western Cape in the period 2000 to 2007. During this period Toni has managed a team of scientists to undertake river health monitoring throughout the province. She was also instrumental in the compilation of 7 State-of-River reports for the Western Cape Rivers, including undertaking the graphic design and layout of these reports.
RIVER MAINTENANCE
AND MANAGEMENT
PLANS (MMP)
The following river MMPs were compiled and completed:
- Kingna River (145 km) - 2017/2018.
- Konings River (42 km) - 2017/2018.
- Poesjesnel River (56 km) - 2017/2018.
- Berg River Zone 3 Irrigation Board (35 km river length) – 2017/2018.
- Berg River Irrigation Zone 1 and 2 MMP (55 km of the upper Berg River) including more than 380 points of infrastructure – 2016, and
- Baden River MMP (26 km river length) - 2017.
BlueScience has conducted a review for the SANBI of all MMPs compiled in the Western Cape.
There are four groups of river reaches in our MMP projects, that comprise nine rivers, that have been prioritised for this LandCare EMPr:
Group A: The middle reaches of the Breede River, together with the following northward-flowing tributaries within this river reach, the Groot, Boesmans, Drienes and Soutpans Rivers;
Group B: Lower Riviersonderend (Zonderend) River;
Group C: Keurbooms and Klip Rivers, tributaries of the Lower Breede River; and
Group D: Krom River, a tributary of the Palmiet River.
There are four groups of river reaches in our MMP projects, that comprise nine rivers, that have been prioritised for this LandCare EMPr:
Group A: The middle reaches of the Breede River, together with the following northward-flowing tributaries within this river reach, the Groot, Boesmans, Drienes and Soutpans Rivers;
Group B: Lower Riviersonderend (Zonderend) River;
Group C: Keurbooms and Klip Rivers, tributaries of the Lower Breede River; and
Group D: Krom River, a tributary of the Palmiet River.
INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
BlueScience has been appointed in 2021 by the DWS to undertake the comprehensive ecological Reserve determinations for the F60 and G30 catchment areas, including Verlorenvlei and the Sandveld on the West Coast of South Afrika.
In 2010 BlueScience has undertaken the first formal water resources classification study in South Africa in the Olifants Doorn water management area.
In 2010 BlueScience has undertaken the first formal water resources classification study in South Africa in the Olifants Doorn water management area.
WATER RESOURCE MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
The following freshwater and water quality assessment studies related to waste water treatment facilities were conducted during the period 2014 - 2016:
For each of the abovementioned studies a freshwater impact assessment and a water quality management report were compiled. The water use authorisations have being compiled and submitted on behalf of the water use applicants.
- Upgrade of the Athlone WWTW – City of Cape Town
- Upgrade of the Macassar WWTW – City of Cape Town
- Upgrade of the Kraaifontein WWTW – City of Cape Town
- Upgrade of the Zandvliet WWTW – City of Cape Town
- Upgrade of the Scotsdene WWTW – City of Cape Town
- Upgrade of the Vredendal North WWTW – Matzikamma LM
- Upgrade of the Riebeek West WWTW – Swartland LM
- Upgrade of the Koringberg WWTW – Swartland LM
- Upgrade of the Philadelphia WWTW – City of Cape Town
- Upgrade of the Klipheuwel WWTW – City of Cape Town
- Upgrade of the Stellenbosch WWTW – Stellenbosch LM
- Closing of the land fill site – Stellenbosch Local Municipality
For each of the abovementioned studies a freshwater impact assessment and a water quality management report were compiled. The water use authorisations have being compiled and submitted on behalf of the water use applicants.