Johannesburg Water’s R92 Million Erand Tower and Pump Station Upgrade

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14-03-2025
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Infrastructure News
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Part of Johannesburg Water’s (JW) ongoing infrastructure upgrades is to ensure that growing areas have sufficient water coverage. The Midrand Depot supplies high-rise areas across Midrand, and due to the population growth and urban development, it needs to be upgraded to keep up with and meet future demand. 

The Midrand Depot consists of a 25 Mℓ reservoir, a 9 Mℓ reservoir, and a 0.5 Mℓ tower. JW’s towers are used to supply water to high-lying areas while the reservoirs feed lower-lying areas. Johannesburg Water states that 0.5 Mℓ tower is not enough to meet the growing demand, making this upgrade pivotal for the supply of the region. 

The upgrades

The upgrades to this system include a 2Mℓ water tower and a pump station that will connect the previous infrastructure to the new. The Pump station will supply the new 2 Mℓ as well as the older 0.5 Mℓ towers. These two towers stand 30 metres above ground level, ensuring that the required hydrostatic pressure for distribution is achieved. 

The pump station will house four Turbofluid pumps, which will operate three at a time with one on standby. The actual pumping will alternate, increasing the lifespan of the pumps as each one will “get to rest” while the others continue. This ensures the pumps are not overworked and their maintenance schedules are sufficient. 

The depot will also see a generator being installed onsite to combat the effects of a potential outage.  Pfunzo Mudzanani, a project manager for Johannesburg Water and this project’s project manager, says, “This will increase the water storage capacity of the existing system, specifically for higher lying areas, ensuring the capacity is adequate for the current demand and future growth of the region.” 

The construction of the new Erand Tower and Pump Station forms part of the Entity’s Reservoir Storage Upgrade Programme, which aims to ensure the provision of a 24-hour storage capacity in all the Entity’s reservoirs. The project is currently about 60% complete, and upon completion, will boost water supply in Carlswald, Blue Hills, Kyalami, and Barbeque Downs. This infrastructure upgrade is also meant to prevent disruption in the case of bursts, and supply side interruption by maintaining pressure in the reticulation system. 

Project details

Johannesburg water has invested R92 million rand into this project, Mudzanani says, ”We are proud of this project, it is both purposeful and beautiful. The money invested here will go far in keeping Midrand’s developments going strong.”  The consulting engineers on this project are MPAMOT, and after the design phase, they appointed Icon Construction to carry out the project.  The project is 60% complete, and Johannesburg Water outlines the scope of work as follows: 

• Construction of a new 30m high elevated reinforced concrete water tower with a capacity of 2Ml. This includes the design and construction of piles, ground beams, shaft walls, columns, radial beams and a cylindrical water tank. 
• Construction of a new pump station housing four pumps each, with a head of 37m drawing water from the existing 25Ml reservoir and delivering to both the new and existing water towers, including all the necessary appurtenances and control systems. 
• All inlet and outlet pipework from the reservoir to the pump station must be installed and connected to the existing distribution network. 
• Cathodic Protection and Telemetry requirements. 
• Power supply to the new pump station, as well as a standby generator and lightning protection, will be installed. 
• Construction of new manholes and inlet and outlet chambers. 
• Construction of paving around the pump station and tower.

On site, the columns have been built, and work has started on the top of the tower that houses the water.