KNYSNA NEWS - Although the Garden Route has experienced rainy weather over the past few days, the Knysna municipality said today that it will not have a significant impact on the current water situation for the town.

According to municipal water statistics for 19 to 21 January, only 9mm of rain fell in Knysna, while Sedgefield experienced an average rainfall of 12mm.

Knysna’s dam levels did not improve much or at all after the rain, said the municipality, with the Akkerkloof Dam still at 45% and the Glebe Dam currently at 10% capacity.

The Knysna River is flowing normally at present, which means the water is flowing at approximately 120mm over the weir, pumping 82.20 litres of water per second, said the municipality.

The Gouna River is also experiencing a normal flow with approximately 80mm of water flowing over the weir, pumping the same amount of water as the Knysna River.

The Karatara River, said the municipality, is experiencing a low flow, but the municipality did not say exactly what this meant.

Furthermore, according to the municipality, the Knysna reverse osmosis plant is not in use, although the main purification plant is fully operational.

The Sedgefield desalination plant is also not in use, although the main purification plant is also fully operational, said the municipality.

“Although we are grateful for the recent rain, it did not have a significant impact on the current water situation. 

"The Akkerkloof Dam is still at 45%, which is the same level that it was prior to the rain and level 3 water restrictions apply,” the municipality said. 

ARTICLE: STEFAN GOOSEN, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST

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