Water supply and sewage treatment in relation to water quality in Lake McIlwaine

Abstract

The population of Greater Salisbury was 313,000 in 1968, but by 1979 the population had risen to 650,000 and the present population is now likely to be close to 1 million. In 1968 the water consumption varied from 63.0 Ml per day during the rainy season to 112.5 Ml per day during the hot, dry season, and in 1979 this had risen to 134.05 Ml per day during the rainy season and 211,28 Ml per day during the hot, dry season. This increase in consumption since 1967–1968 is shown in Table 3. To meet this demand, Salisbury obtains its water from a number of dams on the Hunyani River and its tributaries: namely, Prince Edward Dam (3000 Ml), Cleveland Dam (910 Ml), Lake McIlwaine (250,000 Ml), Henry Hallam Dam (9200 Ml) and Lake Robertson (490,000 Ml). Of these, Lake McIlwaine is the main source of water supply to the City.