The Jukskei River

Transforming a Polluted River in South Africa.

The Jukskei river, one of the largest in Johannesburg, is full of toxins from sewage flow. A monitoring station and a water quality sampling device was installed and donated by Campbell Scientific in September 2020.

The Following were used:

  1. CR300 Cell215
  2. CS475
  3. Hygrovue 5
  4. Texas TR525
  5. RMWater for the Future: Jukskei Monitoring Station

In monitoring the discharge and water quality of the upper Jukskei at Victoria Yards, an integrated water quality sampling device is installed. This will allow for flow rated sampling, which means that single samples are extracted automatically during low flows, but that during responses to rainfall events, with the increase in discharge, samples are automatically taken at a more frequent rate. This will allow for:

  • A concurrent record of flow and water quality, particularly during rainfall event responses. Examination of these parameters, together with associated stable isotopes of water, will allow us to deduce the sources and possible pathways of the discharge and water quality species. This is an essential first step for evaluating rehabilitation measures;
  • Knowing the water quality concentrations, together with a flow time series, allows us to calculate mass loading, which is often more important than peak concentrations;
  • Assessing seasonal variations in mass loading with similar discharge rates;
  • Assessing the immediate effects of any changes to the stormwater reticulation or implementation of remediation measures.

In conjunction with the automated flow and water quality sampling, are meteorological measurements that will allow for the calibration of rainfall-runoff stormwater models.

The collected data is intended to be made available to any interested parties, including contributing to the City of Johannesburg’s monitoring network, to research and consulting endeavours and to Water for the Future’s plans for rehabilitation and selected water usage projects.

Jukskei River Cleanup Crew Jukskei River Cleanup

A river filled with sewage, broken TVs, dead dogs, and used needles or a clean, bird-luring oasis lined with indigenous plants? Most people could only see a polluted ribbon of water in Johannesburg’s Jukskei but two pioneering women have set out to restore one of the city’s largest rivers.

Conservationist Romy Stander and artist Hannelie Coetzee want to tackle water pollution using research, green infrastructure, and art in a model they hope can be replicated for other rivers across the country.

Working closely with the local community, the duo launched an initiative to remove alien invasive plants in December 2020, with plans underway to build natural water filters to protect the river.

“Water is a reflection of society, and this one is toxic,” said Stander, who co-founded the charity Water for the Future with Coetzee. “We want to create a green corridor filled with safe water and eco-art that communicates with people.”

River Monitoring Installation Jukskei River Cleanup

Water for the Future is based at Victoria Yards, a former laundry factory in inner-city Johannesburg that now houses art studios, community vegetable gardens, a clinic, a creche, and more, built alongside the Jukskei.

Together with engineers, researchers, architects, and scientists, Stander and Coetzee are trying to understand what can be done to fix the river permanently.

A monitoring station and a water quality sampling device were installed last September by Campbell Scientific, a scientific instrument provider, and SRK mining consultants, to gauge the river’s water quality and discharge.

This and other research has helped Water for the Future understand the impact of illegal sewage connections, collapsed stormwater drains, and high rates of urbanisation in the city that all put pressure on the river.

It is envisaged that the data collected will be used for:

  • Education of visitors to Victoria Yards and the local residents;
  • Estimation of extreme event response and urban drainage through student projects at Universities (University of Pretoria, WITS and UJ among others);
  • Contribution to CoJ projects on the Jukskei river;
  • Developing an understanding of the mechanisms of flow and water quality fluxes in the Jukskei, aimed at targeting remediation within the catchment and use of Jukskei water in Victoria Yards efforts at riverside ecology rejuvenation and enhancement;
  • Development of a discharge and water quality response record, which would be valuable for many urban studies.
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