MOOI-MGENI TRANSFER SCHEME – PHASE 2 (MMTS-2)

The Mgeni Water System in KwaZulu-Natal supplies water to approximately five million people, as well as the industrial sectors in the Durban and Pietermaritzburg regions, the economic hubs of the province. The growth in water demand and intermittent drought periods since 2003 have made it necessary for the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) to implement Phase 2 of the Mooi Mgeni Transfer Scheme (MMTS-2)

Approximately three years ago, the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) received a Directive from the Minister of Water Affairs to fund and implement MMTS-2.

The construction of Spring Grove Dam on the Mooi River upstream of the existing Mearns Weir and about 2km southwest of Rosetta in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands started in February 2011. The project components include: A roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam with an earth embankment;three gauging weirs; and re-alignment of private access roads that will be inundated by the dam.

Impoundment of the dam is scheduled for November 2012 with commissioning within the first quarter of 2013. The Inchbrakie Falls on the Mooi River will be periodically inundated by Spring Grove Dam.

The Spring Grove Dam will provide much-needed water to the municipalities via the transfer of water to Midmar Dam. The water transfer scheme (pump station and pipeline) under MMTS-2 has been postponed because an appeal against the pipeline route was upheld. A new environmental impact assessment with public participation will be undertaken to determine the preferred pipeline route. The MMTS-1 will be used to transfer water to the Mgeni catchment until the new pipeline is operational by about 2013.

For further information on the following aspects click on the relevant item below:

Download: DAM CHARACTERISTICS

Download: LAND ACQUISITION

Download: ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE

Download: CULTURAL AND HERITAGE IMPACT MITIGATION

Download: PROJECT FACT SHEET

ISSUES AND COMPLAINTS REGISTER:

An Issues Register is available on site to record any issues, complaints or compliments. Each issue and/or complaint is allocated a reference number for the purposes of tracking the status. . The responsible person is the Social Monitor, Katie Fenenga. She can be contacted on: 0833874604 or katie@nomadconsulting.co.za. The performance and efficiency of the system, i.e. Issues Register, is also monitored by the independent ECO.

TO VISIT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE:

There have been several requests from the public to visit the construction site. To meet this request and ensure proper coordination with limited impact on the daily activities and responsibilities of site staff the following procedure has been defined: