GROUNDTRUTHING ESTABLISHING A CITIZEN SCIENCE GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK IN CAPE TOWN

The report describes the implementation of a groundwater monitoring network in Newlands and the Epping/Airport Industria areas of Cape Town. It combines desktop research from databases like WARMS and the National Groundwater Archive with field-based 'groundtruthing' via hydrocensus surveys of private borehole owners. The project identifies the geological characteristics of the Table Mountain Group and Cape Flats aquifers and deploys Solinst Leveloggers to track water levels. The findings highlight a significant increase in private borehole drilling between 2015 and 2019 and note concerns among users regarding water quality and the sustainability of abstraction levels.

• A severe drought between 2015 and 2019 led to a sudden and unquantifiable increase in the number of boreholes and well points created, as well as the volume of groundwater abstracted within the City of Cape Town.
• The City of Cape Town relies on three primary aquifers for groundwater: the Table Mountain Group Aquifer, the Cape Flats Aquifer (stretching over 400 km2), and the Atlantis Aquifer (approximately 130 km2).
• In the Newlands study area, a hydrocensus of 105 visited properties found that 29% of residents were available to provide data. User concerns included the presence of iron in the water, the drying up of southern well points, and the potential for petrol leaks from nearby businesses.
• The Epping and Airport Industria study area is characterized by a mix of heavy industrial and residential land use overlying the Cape Flats Aquifer, with saturated sand thicknesses typically between 10 and 15 m.
• A monitoring network was established using Solinst Leveloggers, with six loggers deployed in the Newlands residential area and six in the Epping industrial area, including two at the Cape Town International Airport.
• The report identifies significant data gaps and limitations, including the lack of updated WARMS database information from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and inaccurate coordinates in the National Groundwater Archive.

APA

WWF South Africa (2020). GROUNDTRUTHING ESTABLISHING A CITIZEN SCIENCE GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK IN CAPE TOWN. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_groundtruthing_report_1oct20.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. GROUNDTRUTHING ESTABLISHING A CITIZEN SCIENCE GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK IN CAPE TOWN. 2020. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_groundtruthing_report_1oct20.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=GROUNDTRUTHING ESTABLISHING A CITIZEN SCIENCE GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK IN CAPE TOWN |date=2020 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_groundtruthing_report_1oct20.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafrica2020groundtruthing, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{GROUNDTRUTHING ESTABLISHING A CITIZEN SCIENCE GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK IN CAPE TOWN}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2020}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_groundtruthing_report_1oct20.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }