River Monitoring Programme

The Greenville River Team does weekly monitoring checks and includes elements such weather data, river flow, visual inspections of water quality, erosion control checks, reporting environmental pollution activities and monitoring human impacts.

Water Quality Testing

Water quality testing is an important part of maintaining a safe and healthy environment. The team conducts quarterly water quality tests using the iLab water test kit designed for non-scientific field operatives to do a basic screening of the water quality. We also utilise the MiniSASS tool which can be used by anyone to monitor the health of a river.

About iLab

About MiniSASS

Veld Fire Monitoring

Fires are frequent on site due to the large grass component present on site which are vulnerable to burns during drier periods of the year. Though fire may play a vital role in fynbos ecology, the too frequent occurrence of fires may prevent the successful establishment of Fynbos species on site. The team monitors for any fire activity (natural or otherwise) and reports to local authorities.

Erosion monitoring

The foot traffic by illegal cattle grazing tramples vegetation and destroys riverbank stability when the cattle drinks water from the river. The river team reports this to City of Cape Town Law Enforcement for cattle to be removed. Furthermore, during heavy rains, the banks become eroded by the flow of the water and plant are washed out. The team monitors the damages and identify areas for replanting.

Illegal Dumping Monitoring

Illegal dumping continues to be a problem. Although cleaning of these frequent dumping events is resource consuming, the illegal dumping result in drastic environmental impacts and veldfires when waste is burned. The team monitors illegal dumping hotspots, reporting it to City of Cape Town and/or clean-up the areas. They also educate and create awareness and often run door-to-door campaigns about illegal dumping.

Human Impact

Vandalism of infrastructure and particularly planted flora remains a constant hinderance as on several occasions newly planted trees have been broken and or removed by individuals. Various criminal activities are monitored and reported to SAPS and Law enforcement. The team often also engage with children that swim in the river and to individual that conduct cultural activities in the river as this is prohibited and potentially dangerous.

Biodiveristy Monitoring

Biodiversity monitoring is an essential part of preserving our natural environment. It helps us to understand the health of ecosystems, identify changes in species abundance, and recognize any potential threats. The team takes photos of any new fauna or flora they observe on site, does fixed-point photography and Pre- and post-winter plant surveys.