DROUGHT CRISIS: LEVEL 5 WATER RESTRICTIONS CATEGORIES
CONSUMPTION PER PERSON 87 litres or less per person per day wherever you are: home, work, school, etc.
LIMIT FOR INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES Residential properties exceeding 20 kilolitres per month will be fined.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES Reduce consumption by 20% compared to previous year. Properties exceeding this will be fined.
IRRIGATION WITH MUNICIPAL DRINKING WATER Prohibited
IRRIGATION WITH BOREHOLE/WELLPOINT WATER Discouraged
BATHROOM Flushing toilets with non-drinking water (e.g. greywater or rainwater) encouraged.
WATER FEATURES Use of municipal drinking water prohibited
SWIMMING POOLS (public and private) • Top-up, filling or refilling with drinking water prohibited • Use of portable play pools prohibited
WASHING VEHICLES (privately or at a formal/informal car wash) Prohibited with municipal drinking water.
FACILITIES • Operation of spray parks prohibited • No new landscaping or sports fields may be established, except if irrigated only with nondrinking water .
INDIGENT WATER ALLOCATION Still applies.
LEVEL 5 WATER RESTRICTIONS The City of Cape Town has implemented Level 5 Water Restrictions, effective from 3 September 2017 until further notice.
RESTRICTIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL CUSTOMERS
• All water users are required to use no more than 87 litres of municipal drinking water per person per day in total irrespective of whether you are at home, work or elsewhere. • No watering/irrigation with municipal drinking water allowed. This includes watering/irrigation of flower beds, lawns, vegetables, agricultural crops, other plants, sports fields, golf courses, schools, educational facilities, nurseries, parks and other open spaces, customers involved in agricultural activities, etc. (Nurseries and customers involved in agricultural activities or with historical gardens may apply for exemption. For more information, visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater.) • City departments may only water/irrigate sports fields, parks, etc. using non-drinking water and upon agreement of days and times with the Water and Sanitation department. • Facilities/customers making use of borehole water, treated effluent water, spring water or well points are encouraged not to water/irrigate within seven days after rainfall that provided adequate saturation. • All boreholes and well points must be registered with the City and must display the official City of Cape Town signage clearly visible from a public thoroughfare. Visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater for how to register. • Borehole/well point water must be used efficiently to avoid wastage and evaporation. Borehole/well point water users are strongly encouraged to water/irrigate only on Tuesdays and Saturdays before 09:00 or after 18:00 for a maximum of one hour. • All properties where alternative, non-drinking water resources are used (including rainwater harvesting, greywater, treated effluent water and spring water) must display signage to this effect clearly visible from a public thoroughfare. Visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater for further information. • No washing or hosing down of hard-surfaced or paved areas with municipal drinking water allowed. Users, such as abattoirs, food processing industries, care facilities, animal shelters and other industries or facilities with special needs (health/safety related only) must apply for exemption. For more information, visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater. • The use of municipal drinking water for ornamental water fountains or water features is prohibited. • No topping up (manual/automatic) of swimming pools with municipal drinking water is allowed, even if fitted with a pool cover. This includes the filling of new pools or the refilling of an existing pool after a repair. This applies to all pools, including public pools and pools at clubs, businesses and institutions.
RESTRICTIONS APPLICABLE TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS
• Single residential properties (domestic full tariff category) must ensure that the consumption of municipal drinking water per property is not more than 20 000 litres per month. (See note 1 below.) • Cluster developments (e.g. flats and housing complexes) must ensure that the average consumption of municipal drinking water per residential unit is not more than 20 000 litres per month. (See note 1 below.) • No washing of vehicles, trailers, caravans or boats with municipal drinking water allowed. These must be washed with non-drinking water or cleaned with waterless products or dry steam cleaning processes. • Customers are strongly encouraged to install water efficient parts, fittings and technologies to minimise water use at all taps, showerheads and other plumbing components. • You are encouraged to flush toilets (e.g. manually using a bucket) with greywater, rainwater or other non-drinking water. • The use of portable or any temporary play pools is prohibited. • No increase of the indigent water allocation over and above the free 350 litres a day will be granted, unless through prior application and permission for specific events such as burial ceremonies.
RESTRICTIONS APPLICABLE TO NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS
• All commercial properties must ensure that their monthly consumption of municipal drinking water is reduced by 20% compared to consumption for the previous year. (See note 1 below.) • All agricultural users must ensure that their monthly consumption of municipal drinking water is reduced by 30% compared to consumption for the previous year. (See note 1 below.) • No washing of vehicles (including taxis), trailers, caravans and boats with municipal drinking water allowed. These must be washed with non-drinking water or cleaned with waterless products or dry steam cleaning processes. This applies to both formal and informal car washes. • The operation of spray parks is prohibited. • Customers must install water efficient parts, fittings and technologies to minimise water use at all taps, showerheads and other plumbing components in public places and adhere to Water By-law requirements. • No new landscaping or sports fields may be established, except if irrigated only with non-drinking water. • For users supplied with water in terms of special contracts (notarial deeds, water service intermediaries or water service providers), the contract conditions shall apply.
Note 1: Failure to comply will constitute an offence in terms of the City’s Water By-law, 2010 (or as amended). The accused will be liable to an admission of guilt fine or, in accordance with section 36(4), an installation of a water management device(s) at premises where the non-compliance occurs. The cost thereof will be billed to the relevant account holder. This provision is effective from 1 October 2017. Customers with good reason for higher consumption need to provide the City with motivation to justify their higher consumption. For further information visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater or contact us at water@capetown.gov.za.
Other restrictive measures, not detailed above, as stipulated in Schedule 1 of the Water By-law, 2010 (or as amended) still apply. Exemptions issued under Level 4B restrictions still apply, subject to review with the possibility of being revoked. Water pressure may be reduced to limit water leaks and such may cause intermittent water supply. For further information visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater or contact us at water@capetown.gov.za