Illiondale wetlands to be rehabilitated.

The Illiondale Wetland Rehabilitation has been implemented by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) to improve the wetland functioning in the Juksei River and specifically within the Modderfontein spruit.

According to Mr Nicus Durieux, the senior environmental consultant for the Environmental Impact Management Services (Pty) Ltd (EIMS), the wetlands within the catchment is considered to be important from a water quantity and quality perspective in terms of flood and storm water attenuation.

“The objective of the rehab project is to improve the system by implementing specific design measures at numerous locations along the wetland. This is due to the high level of land use transformation within the catchment, consisting primarily of urban development, sewerage systems and associated return flows, the Sebenza industrial area and an old Sebenza dumping site,” said Mr Durieux.

Dr Irwin Juckes, who represents Edenvale River Watch, said restoring the wetland will be a positive step towards improving water quality and slowing the runoff in the Jukskei catchment.

“This will benefit many, both in Edenvale and downstream. We need more such projects. How the restoration project is implemented and the restored wetland is managed is important to the local people,” said Dr Juckes.

The EMM’s spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe, said the project involves the implementation of a wetland rehabilitation plan, where a number of wetland rehabilitation structures such as gabions have to be constructed as a way of bringing the area to its near original natural state.

The EMM will hire a service provider who will be responsible for construction of these structures.

It also includes the removal of invasive alien vegetation. These measures are in line with the National Working for Wetlands programme, aimed at rehabilitating degraded wetlands country-wide.

“Given the nature of impact on the wetland on-site, the prime goal of the rehabilitation would be to stabilise, channel erosion and the removal of invasive alien vegetation,” explained Mr Gadebe.

He said there will be different phases implemented in order to achieve the primary goals as recommended.

Phase 1 (Short and intermediate term plan):

r Physical removal of alien vegetation and it is recommended that focus should be on Populus ssp., Arundo donax and Solanum mauritianum;

r Stabilisation of channel incision and the focus should be on reinforcement of current existing gabion structures by proper survey and design of these structures, taking into consideration the volume of water conveyed by this wetland system; and

r Backfilling of all gabion lining structures on-site and fencing of the wetland area to avoid dumping and infilling.

Phase 2 (Long term plan)

r Develop this wetland area into a proper recreational park and the following is anticipated to be part of the development plan such as:

r Develop a landscape master plan of the site indicating floodlines.

r Removal of dump and overburden material, shaping, sloping re-vegetation of a certain section based on the proposed landscaping plan.

r Creation of mosaic open water pond systems at sections of the main channel to create a habitat for local avifauna, (which also acts as water attenuation/detention facilities).

r Creation of walkways across the sections of the modified system for bird viewing.

Mr Gadebe said the project was introduced because as with other wetlands in Ekurhuleni, the system acts as a storm water conveyance system.

“There were a number of storm water discharge points recorded and these were discharging directly into this system. The system is heavily incised, there is also evidence of dumping and excavations with heaps of soil recorded in different sections of the system,” he said.

Mr Gadebe said the community will be notified once the necessary environmental authorisations have been granted and a budget has been secured for the implementation of the rehabilitation plan.