Abstract
M.Sc.
Water quality management is the effort of the community to control the physical, chemical
and biological qualities of water. Water quality is mainly controlled by the activities of the
community and the hydrological cycle. Usually an effort is made to control only one of the
two causes, namely the activities of the community.
The Sasolburg industrial complex is the largest of its kind in the Free State and consists
mainly of chemical industries. A large proportion of the effluent is returned to the Vaal River
via the Sasol sewerage works while some industries have permission to send their effluent
to the Taaibosspruit, east of Sasolburg. The most industries let their storm water flow into
the Taaibosspruit
The option of the location of a monitoring point should determine whether the collected data
is representative of the water quality and whether it is useful to observe trends in the water
quality. The reliability of the data on water quality is strongly dependent on inter alia, the
frequency of monitoring, which is determined by the availibility of staff and funding.
By investigating the present monitoring sytem by Rand Water, the Department of Water
Affairs and Forestry and the industries through this study it had to be determined whether
the functioning of the monitoring network was optimal.Deficiencies like:
unmonitored and unauthorised streams;
badly contaminated areas which pollute the storm water and;
the absence of retention facilities for contamninated storm water were found.
Recommendations like:
extra monitoring points;
retention facilities for storm water and;
biomonitoring for combined streams were made.
Of great importance is the recommendation for the establishment of a local water quality management body to control the water quality of the water sources in the
region.