The area of Tweespruit in the Free State is a small dairy farming town which started out as an experimental farm set up on an old British Boer War settlement. The area is situated between two creeks, hence its name. With the current water supply shortage in the area of Tweespuit BVI Consulting Engineers was tasked with the design of a 25km pipeline. "The bulk water supply project was requested by the Mantsopa Local Municipality and funded by Mptheo District Municipality and involved an extensive investigation into the current water situation of Tweespruit. The investigation identified a poor bulk water supply and reticulation system," explains Sakkie.

According to Sakkie, various resources were consulted during the investigation. "I collated information from Google Earth to get a clear view of where the major dams were situated. We also made use of information from the Department of Water Affairs and from the various aerial photographs on record. Information was then transferred into Civil Designer’s Water module so that we could submit the Technical report and the tender documentation. The project is on hold till further funding has been approved but the feasibility phase is currently in progress," notes van der Westerhuisen.

The various factors as highlighted in the analysis proved quite interesting. "The shortage of water affected mostly the farmers in the area while communities were more in need of an adequate water borne sewer reticulation system. We identified the various sources of bulk water to include the Armenia Dam or even treated water supplied by Bloemwater from Taba Nchu where water infrastructure was found to be underutilised."

"The project has been divided into two phases, with phase one providing water from the Lovedale Dam to Tweespruit. In this phase, the existing pumping scheme will be upgraded to provide a more secure supply of bulk water to Tweespruit. Phase two aims to bring water from the Armenia Dam to the Lovedale dam pump station upgraded under phase 1. Our task was to find the most cost effective way to meet these objectives, an exercise which was not easy," he says. Both phases would have to be completed in order to allow the installation of a water borne sanitation system in the Borwa residential area.
 

Despite many years of experience, Sakkie is quick to admit that each project has its own set of design challenges. With the bulk water supply project of Tweespruit, the pump station design was particularly challenging. "The undulating terrain between Armenia Dam to Tweespruit resulted in the need for very high pumping heads. These pumping heads must be kept as low as possible to reduce Energy costs. We therefore have to ensure that the extraction pumps follow the water level in the dams and deliver the water at low head levels into balancing tanks before the high pressure booster pumps deliver water at the Tweespruit water treatment plant for processing.

“Another problem was that the water of the Lovedale dam is standing on two farms with water registrations. This led to extensive meetings with farm owners and other role players as there were no agreements in place to extract water from the dam." Sakkie's role in the last two decades at BVI Consulting Engineers has been an interesting one. His varied responsibilities include all the project administration, tender preparation and liaison with the client and community members.

According to Sakkie, BVI Consulting Engineers has evolved considerably over the years but has retained the same principles as a company. "Many of the people that started with the company are still actively involved in the business today. We are committed to the profession. One of the many highlights in my job is when I see the water flow. To me the flow of water in a water reticulation project means that the design methodology really works. This is a worthwhile experience."