Water utility Rand Water on Monday said it will be embarking on extensive maintenance on its infrastructure during South Africa’s winter period from June 22 to July 29.

The utility says it has engaged, and continues to do so, with its municipal customers, and has officially issued a notification about the upcoming maintenance project to ensure municipal customers have a 21-day period to plan, establish appropriate contingency plans, manage storage capacity prior and during the maintenance period, and inform their customers accordingly.

Rand Water says that the planned, proactive infrastructure maintenance, under its focused Asset Management Strategy, will preserve the quality and integrity of the infrastructure, reduce maintenance costs in the long term and increase the life span of the infrastructure and assets.

Rand Water, which plans its maintenance during the low water demand season in winter or during the December holiday season to ensure the reliability of its infrastructure during the higher demand summer season, outlined its plans for the June and July planned maintenance.

On June 22, maintenance is expected to impact one meter in Mogale City, impacting the Busasa flats, running on the Eikenhof System; however, overall pumping will not be affected.

From June 24 to June 27, the Eikenhof System will be impacted by maintenance, with the system pumping at 50% for eight hours and 67% for the remaining 64 hours, and from June 26 to July 13, the system will be pumping at 83% for 15 days.

This will impact Johannesburg Water, Mogale City, Merafong City, Rand West City, Madibeng, Rustenburg, Royal Bafokeng and various mines and Industries.

Maintenance will also impact the Zwartkopjes System on June 24, when there will be no pumping at Daleside for four hours and Zwartkopjes will be pumping at 50%, impacting Johannesburg Water and Ekurhuleni.

The Palmiet System will be affected by maintenance on June 28, and while pumping will not be affected, two Ekurhuleni meters and four direct customers will be affected, including Rose Deep Mine and bypass, Driefontein Ergo Mining (private), Barlow, Rand Refinery, 1 and 2 Southern areas and the City of Ekurhuleni’s meters.

On July 1, Palmiet will be pumping at 60% for eight hours, impacting Johannesburg Water, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Madibeng and various industries.

These same customers will be affected on July 15 when the Palmiet System’s pumping will be reduced to 68% for 50 hours, and again on July 29, when pumping will be reduced to 76% for 40 hours.

The Mapleton System will also be impacted during the maintenance period.

On July 5, pumping at the Mapleton System will be reduced to 73% for 24 hours and Bloemendal pumping will be off for 40 hours, impacting Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Thembisile Hani, Lesedi, Govan Mbeki, Victor Khanye and various mines and Industries.

These customers will also be impacted on July 26, when Mapleton will not be pumping for 77 hours.

On July 19, maintenance at the system will not impact pumping, however, areas supplied by the Ergo meter, the Carnival City meter and three City of Tshwane meters that are supplied through H26, will have no water supply.

“Impacted municipalities are requested to advise their customers on the extent and impact of water supply and on contingency plans that will be put in place,” Rand Water said in a statement, noting that it will provide updates throughout the maintenance period.