Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to right sidebar Skip to footer

Updated status on on the BFI Water Projects for George – Component 1 and 2

George Municipality received a Budget Facility for Infrastructure Funding (BFI) grant to the value of R1.107 billion from National Treasury in the 2021/22 financial year and the BFI project with its various project components, has shown significant progress and expenditure in the 2022/23 financial years.

George Municipality is actively working to keep our economy on the go, by ensuring adequate long-term planning and investment into our resources – that is water, sewerage and electricity. The full BFI project is planned to be completed by 30 June 2025.

George Municipality provides water services to over 243 996 residents from 67 787 households across 28 wards including the coastal areas of Kleinkrantz, Wilderness, Victoria Bay, Herold’s Bay and Gwaing in the city of George area. The objectives of the project are to ensure adequate potable water supply to meet the demand of the current population and to provide security for future development, both social and economic, and to reduce pollution of certain main water courses.

Updates on the Potable Water Security and Remedial Works components funded by BFI Grant
The project consists of 12 components, some of which will be executed in more than one construction phase.

Component 1 and 2
The 20 Ml/d extension to the New Water Treatment Works (New WTW) is component 2 of the 12. Component 1 adds the Water Treatment Works residuals treatment facility to the project.

Status: The first contract, valued at R263 million, was awarded for the civil engineering works and construction is continuing on site. The tender for the mechanical, electrical and instrumentation (MEI) works was awarded for R217 million. Component 1and 2 form the largest sub-projects of the overall BFI project.
• Placing of concrete is progressing well and the concrete structures are progressing above ground level. The civil engineering works on the main component currently stands at 54% complete and the most difficult parts of the construction has been completed.
• The construction on the 600m long, 900mm diameter, clear water HDPE pipeline started in late 2022, is currently at 70% completion. The river crossing is ready to commence plus the two tie-ins at the start and end of the pipeline, which will require shut downs of the clear water feed pipeline to the reservoirs.
• The concrete for the three tanks of the dewatering facility for the water treatment residuals process, are complete. This forms part of Component 2 of the BFI project and will reduce the load on the sewage conveyance system and pumpstations, as well as reduce the load on the wastewater treatment processes and the main sludge dewatering facility.
• A number of plant shutdowns are required at the new Water Treatment Works to enable tie-ins on the raw water feed to the plant, the clear water feed from the plant to the reservoirs, valve chamber construction, injection chamber construction and some refurbishment of pipework in the existing new Water Treatment Works. These shutdowns have to be carefully co-ordinated to avoid unnecessary downtime or reduction in water supply to George and also contributes to the reasoning for extended water restrictions due to the inability to supply treated water in larger quantities.
• The civil engineering construction is scheduled for completion at the end of February 2024 and the mechanical, electrical and instrumentation by December 2024