George Municipal Superintendent for Water Purification, Melvin Koopman was thrilled to attend a Western Cape Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop recognition ceremony held at the Hotel Verde, Cape Town on Monday 11 December following the national announcements made on 5 December. Koopman gladly received a Blue Drop Award for George Water Treatment Works (Old and New Water Treatment Works) on behalf of the Civil Engineering Services team.
George Municipality improved their Blue Drop score with 12% , from 2014, placing us third in the Western Cape and with a top score for a local and own-managed water treatment system. The overall average for the George, Wilderness, Uniondale and Haarlem Water Treatment Works is 94.95%.
Portfolio Councillor for Civil Engineering Services: Operating Aspects, Browen Johnson expressed his delight at the accolade. “I am extremely proud of this achievement, which highlights our unwavering dedication to maintaining high standards and ensuring the best water quality for the citizens of George. It reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence in service delivery.”
The municipality also received an Outstanding No Drop performance, one of eight local municipalities. The No Drop asesses the status of water losses and nonrevenue water, and the degree to which the drinking water distribution systems of the municipality supplies water efficiently. No Drop Certification means that a municipality is accomplished in its water conservation and water demand management practice and receives public accolade and acknowledgement of its excellence in water supply management against a set of strict criteria.
Importantly all four water treatment systems, George – Old and New Water Treatment Works, Wilderness Ebb and Flow Water Treatment Works, Uniondale Water Treatment Works and Haarlem Water Treatment Works scored 100% with low risk attributed.
Summary of Results for George Municipality:
💧2023 Blue Drop Score 95.1% awarded to George Water Works (2014 82.8%)
💧 2023 Blue Drop Score AVERAGE 94.95% awarded to George, Wilderness, Uniondale and Haarlem Water Treatment Works
💧 Outstanding No Drop Performance (1 of 8 local municipalities)
💧Score of 84% for Total System Analysis (TSA) for George New Water Treatment Works
💧 All 4 systems (100%) in low risk positions (George – Old and New Water Treatment Works, Wilderness Ebb and Flow Water Treatment Works, Uniondale Water Treatment Works and Haarlem Water Treatment Works)
Caption: Seen at the Western Cape Recognition Ceremony from the left are Melvin Koopman (George Superintendent for Water Purification), Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa (Provincial Head Department of Water Services), Dr Phakamani Buthelezi (CEO Overberg Water Board), Dr Badroodien (MAYCO Member Water and Sanitation, COCT).
FOR INFORMATION: Blue and No Drop Process Explained:
The Blue Drop and Green Drop Certification Programmes are forms of Incentive-based Regulation (IBR) pioneered by the South African Water Sector since 2008. Legislation, Water Services Act; Act 108 of 1997, Section 82 d, e & f.
The programme seeks to focus on Improvement in Performance, Compliance and Efficiency. The Blue Drop Programme which allows for proactive management and regulation of drinking water quality through the introduction of excellence requirements based upon legislated norms and standards, as well as international best practice.
The objective of the Blue Drop Programme is:
i. To encourage and acknowledge continuous improvement and performance excellence in drinking water services management in South Africa through the use of incentive, risk and benchmarking
ii. To provide the South African public with credible and transparent results on the status of their drinking water quality and the water services institutions that supply their water.
The Department of Water and Sanitation developed the No Drop Programme to draw attention to and encourage progress in water use efficiency and water loss / Non-revenue Water management in the South African municipal sector. No Drop Certification means that a municipality is accomplished in its water conservation and water demand management practice and receives public accolade and acknowledgement of its excellence in water supply management against a set of strict criteria. The No Drop has been developed in a similar framework to the Blue Drop (drinking water quality) in 2013, followed by a partial roll out to all 152 municipalities in 2014 and a full roll out to all 8 metropolitan municipalities in 2014/15.
The objective of the No Drop Certification Programme is to:
i. To encourage and acknowledge continuous improvement and performance excellence in water use efficiency, water loss and NRW management in South Africa through the use of incentive- risk-based regulation and benchmarking.
ii. To provide the South African public with credible and transparent results on the status of water use efficiency and the management thereof, in their cities and towns.
The road leading to the Gwaing landfill site is slippery due to the current weather. All road users are requested to be extra cautious.