De Bos dam level passes 70% mark - water restrictions lifted

The De Bos dam level in Hermanus officially pushed past the 70% mark over the weekend - a goal that has not been reached in four years.

The water situation improved dramatically because of generous rain that fell since May 2020 onwards.

Hermanus had 143 mm of rain during August 2020, which makes a total of 521.8 mm for 2020 to date, compared to the long-term average of 447 mm for the period January to August over the last 50 years.  

The total annual average rainfall for Hermanus over the last 50 years is 626 mm, a number that has not been reached since 2014.

Overstrand Executive Mayor, Dudley Coetzee, announced that water restrictions still in force in the Greater Hermanus area will be lifted from tomorrow, 1 September 2020. 

The 30% concomitant restrictive tariffs will also be lifted on water used from this date.

The water services by-law clause 46 will remain in place, which requires that no irrigation takes place between 9:00 and 17:00 daily.  This is just good practice, to limit evaporation during the generally warmest period of the day.

“When it comes to saving water and adhering to water restrictions, a municipality must have the buy-in from residents sticking to regulations. “I would like to thank the residents for their support in adhering to the water restrictions,” the Mayor stated.