Construction of desalination plant to bring clean water to Blythedale Coastal Estate gets under way
Blythedale Coastal Estate is just two months away from generating its own potable water from the sea. The desalination plant will draw water from the ocean and ensure a water supply on the estate, even during drought conditions.
As part of the estate’s green living blueprint, reduced water and power usage is being encouraged and alternative sources are a crucial part of the estate’s design and planning.
Local Ballito company, Solaqua Holdings, is onsite building the plant – the first stage of which is due for completion in two months.
At full capacity, the plant will be able to produce up to 12 megalitres of clear water every day from sea water.
A unique feature of the desalination plants is that the desalination units are built inside large, partially portable containers. More units can be added to increase capacity, when required. They can even be split and moved to other places in need of water. Fitting in with the timeframe and large-scale development at Blythedale Coastal Estate, new units will go online in stages, as development continues.
Solar energy from photovoltaic panels will be used to assist in powering the desalination plant, which will produce desalinated water during sunlight hours and store it in a water reservoir. This water will then be used by homeowners and replenished during the day.
Solaqua director Mandla Mayise and CEO Sacha Marot showing some of the unique properties of their new desalination plant. (Pic: North Coast Courier)
As the estate is a long-term project, the wastewater treatment facility and desalination plant have a modularised design. This will help to reduce the initial infrastructure expenditure and expedite the development of the estate, as water infrastructure will be built to meet the needs of the first phase of property construction and ramped up over time as the number of households on the estate increases.
Explaining the desalination process, Solaqua Director, Mandla Mayisa says that after seawater has been pumped to the plant, it is sent through reverse osmosis filters to remove all salt, minerals and other substances, leaving the water completely pure.
“But water without any minerals tastes very flat – so after the water is 100% purified, certain minerals are reintroduced before it is pumped into the reticulation system.”
By constructing the plant in modular phases, bringing units online as and when required, has allowed plants to be erected much quicker than before.
