Johannesburg Water to retrofit smart controllers for 28 reservoirs
With their smart technology set to tackle leaks and ensure a sustainable water supply for the future, this programme forms part of their approach to conserve water.
The Johannesburg Water (JW) smart controllers, for pressure management, are one their main projects to efficiently control water demand, reduce losses, and guarantee a consistent and sustainable water supply, which forms part of their water conservation and water demand management programme.
JW will retrofit smart controllers on the outlets of 28 high-consumption reservoirs and towers to high-consumption key network zonal pressure reducing valves (PRVs).
Read more: Major Rand Water maintenance to impact Johannesburg Water supply
Senior manager for water demand management and technical metering Logan Munsamy said: “These controllers will help manage pressure more effectively, reducing the incidence of bursts and leaks, and therefore losses. Together, these interventions aim to lower high pressures in the system, ultimately decreasing minimum night flows and water losses.”
The project will be split into two phases. Phase one will include the following eight reservoirs:
• President Park,
• Rabie Ridge tower,
• Doornkop,
• Naturena,
• Lenasia high level,
• Lenasia Hospital Hill, and
• Orange Farm.
Phase 2 will include:
• Diepsloot,
• Country View,
• Erand,
• Erand tower,
• Rabie Ridge tower,
• Kensington B,
• Brixton tower,
• Cosmo City,
• Boschkop/Honeydew,
• Meadowlands,
• Diepkloof,
• Power Park,
• Jabulani,
• Zondi,
• Illovo,
• Marlboro,
• Morningside,
• Bryanston tower,
• Illovo tower, and
• Forest Hill tower.
Strategies that will be implemented to reduce water losses and decrease system input volumes will include:
• Repairs of leaking reservoirs and tower infrastructure,
• Repair and replacement of zonal bulk water meters to better manage zones,
• Active and passive leak detection. 125 noise loggers installed since April 2025,
• Establishing new pressure management zones and minimum night flow analysis. 28 smart controllers installed as at April 2025 with a further 23 planned to be installed by end of June 2025,
• Retrofitting and removal of wasteful devices (infrastructure upgrade and renewal),
• Fixing of property leaks,
• By-law enforcement (illegal connection cut-off and reconnections),
• Replacement and refurbishment of large gate valves to be able to isolate water as close as possible to the burst,
• Water pipe replacement programme,
• Domestic and large consumer meter replacement to facilitate accurate billing and credit control, and
• Improved response times to reported bursts and leaks.
The entity further added that they quantify physical losses on the network, which is bursts, leaking pipes, meters, connections, and leaking reservoirs, to typically 26% of system input volume at the moment.
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