WATCH: Crosby Pump Station will now have two pumps
This is part of Johannesburg Water’s new Brixton Reservoir and Tower and Crosby Pump Station construction project.
To mitigate water problems in the Commando System (which comprises the Brixton, Crosby, and Hursthill complexes), Johannesburg Water (JW) is building the new Brixton reservoir and tower and renovating Crosby pump station.
This project forms part of Corridors of Freedom. The Crosby Pump Station will be stripped to make way for two pump stations, which will supply both Brixton (591l of potable water per second) and Hursthill (400l of potable water per second) reservoirs.
The Brixton Reservoir and Tower will comprise a 26ML ground reservoir, 2ML tower with a top water level of 1 807m, 400l/s pump station and bulk water pipelines connecting the structures to the internal reticulation.
JW had a media tour of the entity’s construction of the reservoir and pump station project on May 15.
These two new infrastructure projects will boost water storage capacity for the Commando System as well as improve supply to the feeder zones.
The Commando System is always the hardest hit by water shortages because of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) growing population, ageing infrastructure, and various other factors.
The project is part of JW’s ongoing efforts to ensure consistent and long-term water supply through the upgrading of existing infrastructure, and the provision of new water infrastructure for additional capacity to support higher density settlements.
Theo Mhlom from JW’s electro mechanical department said, “The equipment at Crosby Pump Station is old and obsolete, making it difficult to get spares. We also have challenges with storage capacity, which necessitated us to upgrade the pump station, the mechanical and the electrical equipment.”
Theo Mhlom from JW's electro mechanical department said, “The equipment at Crosby Pump Station is old and obsolete, making it difficult to get spares. challenges with storage capacity, which necessitated us to upgrade the pump station, the mechanical and the electrical equipment. pic.twitter.com/FaZ8lGG8eO
— Southern Courier SA (@courier_sa) May 17, 2024
JW’s project manager, Nqobizitha Ndimande, said, “We are going to strip the Crosby Pump Station. We will install two pump stations; one will pump to the Brixton area and the second one to Hursthill to augment the supply.
Initially, the plan was to install a third reservoir at Hursthill, but we have space constraints.
“Therefore, we replaced that capacity with the pump station. As part of that, we have a standby generator should we need it during power outages.
“Our system as JW is designed in such a way that water is pumped into our reservoirs, be it a raised tower or ground reservoir, and distributes water from there.
“Preferably on the reservoirs, we must have storage of 24 hours so that if there is a problem with RW, we have enough contingency to service the areas while they are sorting out their issues.
JW's project manager, Nqobizitha Ndimande, said, “We are going to strip the Crosby Pump Station. We will install two pump stations; one will pump to the Brixton area and the second one to Hursthill to augment the supply. pic.twitter.com/qqc6BdCQw1
— Southern Courier SA (@courier_sa) May 17, 2024
“The current situation is that in Brixton, our contingency has gone down to about eight hours. So if there is a disruption in at the RW side, the people go without water.
“When the water supply is restored, it takes longer to recover the system because all the pipes are empty. Because the water demand goes up, and people have their taps on, the systems takes three to five days to recover.
“At Brixton, we are constructing a reservoir and the tower that will serve the high-lying areas. We are about 35% into the construction and are hoping if everything thing goes well by the end of April next year the project will be commissioned,” he said.
More on the project
The project site for the new Brixton reservoir and tower is Brixton Primary School, owned by the Gauteng Provincial Department of Education. The site is already disturbed and used as a construction laydown area.
Area above reservoir is available for utilisation for the benefit of the school. It will be a multipurpose sports centre as an exchange for the school sports grounds.
The total cost of the project (over multiple years) is over R275m.
