Overstrand 2030: Planning for Growth is Whale Coast Report’s ongoing series examining how population growth, infrastructure investment and development are shaping the future of the Overstrand. Through official documents, analysis and public records, the series explores whether the municipality is prepared for the challenges of the next decade.
HERMANUS – The Overstrand Municipality has taken the first formal step towards what could become one of the biggest infrastructure projects in its history, approving grant-funded studies into the feasibility of a desalination plant to help secure the region’s future water supply.
The decision comes as municipal projections show that water demand in the Greater Hermanus area is expected to more than double over the next 25 years, while the municipality’s existing water sources are approaching their sustainable limits.
According to a needs analysis prepared for Council, average daily water demand is projected to increase from about 14,700 kilolitres per day in 2024 to more than 30,800 kilolitres per day by 2049 under the municipality’s growth projections. The report concludes that additional bulk water supply will be needed to meet future demand.
The municipality evaluated several options to increase water supply, including additional abstraction from the Palmiet River, the Theewaterskloof Dam and water reuse. The report identifies seawater reverse osmosis desalination as the preferred long-term solution because of its reliability, drought resilience and technical feasibility.
The preferred location for the proposed plant is the New Harbour precinct in Hermanus. According to the report, the site offers a significant advantage because it is close to the existing seawater intake infrastructure used by a nearby abalone farm, reducing both construction costs and technical risks.
The proposal envisages an initial plant capable of producing 5 million litres of drinking water a day, with the capacity to expand to 10 million litres a day as demand grows. If the project proceeds, the first phase would be required by 2029.
The report estimates that the first phase of the project would cost about R300 million, while a fully developed 10-million-litre-per-day plant would cost approximately R545 million. It also concludes that the municipality cannot finance a project of this scale from its existing capital budget and recommends investigating a public-private partnership as part of the feasibility process.
However, the Council decision does not mean that a desalination plant will now be built. The feasibility study will examine the project’s technical, environmental and financial viability before any final decision is taken.
Mayoral Candidate and MMC for Infrastructure, Clinton Lerm said today that residents should not interpret the Council decision as approval to construct a desalination plant.
“This is step one, and only step one,” he said.
Lerm said the grant would fund studies to determine whether desalination is technically feasible, financially responsible and the right long-term solution for the Overstrand. He added that no municipal funds had been committed to building a plant and that residents would have an opportunity to consider the findings before any final decision is made.
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