Stellenbosch University
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Tygerberg campus introduces grey-water system
Author: Liezel Engelbrecht
Published: 26/06/2018

The Tygerberg campus will shortly be able to use grey water for the flushing of toilets and for irrigation. This saving, together with other water-savvy initiatives, will ensure that the University of Stellenbosch (US) will not be caught unawares if Day Zero should arrive.​

Water saving has been high on the agenda of the university management's agenda since last year, and the installation of grey water systems at US residences is one of the initiatives that could possibly have the highest impact on the usage of drinking water. The university aims to be as independent as possible from municipal water sources.

As a result of an investigation by an engineering and environmental consultation company to determine the water balance on several US-campuses, it was decided to install grey water systems. “The plan is to make better use of the water, for instance by not using drinking water to flush the toilets," explains Mrs Charmaine Klein, Facility Manager at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), which is situated on the Tygerberg campus. “We plan to use a third of the grey water for the toilets, a third for  irrigation, and the last third for filling up the underground aquifer," says Klein. The project is managed by Mr John de Wet, Manager of Sustainability at the US.

The systems will entail the catching of shower water, which would be sent to a central filtration system for treatment. After that it will be redirected again to the various residences and administration buildings.

Klein says that it will be implemented at all the residences on the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campus, with the exception of exception of Houses McDonald, Helderberg and Botmashoogte as they are situated too far away from the other residences.

The installation of the grey water systems require the piping needs to be adapted, and will therefore not happen overnight. “The management is currently busy preparing a tender document. We aim to start with the project by the end of May," says Klein. The timeline for the installation is approximately six months for the Tygerberg campus and nine months for the Stelenbosch residences.

It is estimated that that  the saving of drinking water could be as much as 30%. “By relying on changed human behaviour, we hope to save a further 20%. The remaining 50% of water on the Tygerberg Campus will be provided by boreholes."

According to Klein there are already savings initiatives put in place on the Tygerberg campus by means of taps with water-savings systems, and shortly also the catching of rainwater for re-use. “All these initiatives will therefore assist us to keep the campus going if Day Zero should dawn."