The threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approach

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dc.contributor.advisorFeris, Lorettaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorHarding, William Russellen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2017-09-22T12:04:33Z
dc.date.available2017-09-22T12:04:33Z
dc.date.issued2017en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThe quality of South Africa's raw potable water resources is severely impacted by eutrophication (nutrient enrichment). As much as two-thirds of the reservoir impounded resource may be affected. Wastewater effluents and/or the integration of wastewater return flows as part of the water balances of many reservoirs constitute the primary source of this nutrient pollution. South Africa's historical awareness and understanding of the eutrophication threat to surface waters is comparable with that of other, similarly-afflicted, countries. In particular, the need to manage phosphorus was recognised as early as 1962 when South Africa promulgated one of the first (global) regulations for phosphorus in wastewater effluents. More recently, eutrophication has been ranked as a high priority by the the National Water Resource Strategy. Despite this background, phosphorus removal from wastewater effluents in South Africa remains virtually unregulated. Additionally, there is no resource-directed protocol for the accounting of all sources of phosphorus (or other pollutants) at a catchment level, rendering problematic, if not impossible, the fair and equitable allocation of levies on wastewater discharges. This dissertation examines how wastewater-originating eutrophication is regulated in the USA and Europe, with phosphorus as a central focus. A comparative assessment of the equivalent situation in South Africa is provided and the shortcomings of the latter highlighted. As a solution, I suggest an equitable and transparent scheme of pollutant accounting by individual source, ideally suited to the allocation of waste discharge levies. Applied against a specific resource requirement, for example an identified need to reduce phosphorus in a particular reservoir, this approach also provides a legally sound scheme for pollutant load regulation and permitting.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationHarding, W. R. (2017). <i>The threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approach</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Law ,Institute of Marine and Environmental Law. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25302en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationHarding, William Russell. <i>"The threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approach."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Law ,Institute of Marine and Environmental Law, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25302en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationHarding, W. 2017. The threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approach. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Harding, William Russell AB - The quality of South Africa's raw potable water resources is severely impacted by eutrophication (nutrient enrichment). As much as two-thirds of the reservoir impounded resource may be affected. Wastewater effluents and/or the integration of wastewater return flows as part of the water balances of many reservoirs constitute the primary source of this nutrient pollution. South Africa's historical awareness and understanding of the eutrophication threat to surface waters is comparable with that of other, similarly-afflicted, countries. In particular, the need to manage phosphorus was recognised as early as 1962 when South Africa promulgated one of the first (global) regulations for phosphorus in wastewater effluents. More recently, eutrophication has been ranked as a high priority by the the National Water Resource Strategy. Despite this background, phosphorus removal from wastewater effluents in South Africa remains virtually unregulated. Additionally, there is no resource-directed protocol for the accounting of all sources of phosphorus (or other pollutants) at a catchment level, rendering problematic, if not impossible, the fair and equitable allocation of levies on wastewater discharges. This dissertation examines how wastewater-originating eutrophication is regulated in the USA and Europe, with phosphorus as a central focus. A comparative assessment of the equivalent situation in South Africa is provided and the shortcomings of the latter highlighted. As a solution, I suggest an equitable and transparent scheme of pollutant accounting by individual source, ideally suited to the allocation of waste discharge levies. Applied against a specific resource requirement, for example an identified need to reduce phosphorus in a particular reservoir, this approach also provides a legally sound scheme for pollutant load regulation and permitting. DA - 2017 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2017 T1 - The threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approach TI - The threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approach UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25302 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/25302
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationHarding WR. The threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approach. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Law ,Institute of Marine and Environmental Law, 2017 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25302en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentInstitute of Marine and Environmental Lawen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Lawen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherEnvironmental Lawen_ZA
dc.subject.otherwater securityen_ZA
dc.titleThe threat to South African water security posed by wastewater-driven eutrophication: a proposal for a new regulatory approachen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMPhilen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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