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The Boardwalk Hotel and Casino has started using water from its reverse osmosis plant, built last year at a cost of R3.5 million, after receiving its water-use licence from the Department of Water and Sanitation in October.
Visitors and guests to the hotel will use the water, which comes from an underground fresh water source and was previously diverted into the ocean, for showering, bathing, flushing of toilets and washing their hands.
For the past eight years, Nelson Mandela Bay has been held in the grip of one of its worst droughts in history. After heavy rains in the past few months, the Kouga Dam, Churchill, Loerie and Groendal dams are full; however, the crucial Impofu Dam hovers around 44 percent, up from eight percent this time last year.
Tati Tsunke, general manager of the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino said,
The water is tested once a month to ensure that it is within the acceptable parameters.
The casino is connected to large water storage tanks located at the hotel via a 400m pipe. The water fountain uses grey water, the automatic irrigation system has been switched off and watering is being done by hand, using recovered water. The water-based air-conditioning tower systems are adapted to use non-potable water.
Boardwalk Hotel and Casino will use on average 40 000 litres of municipal water per day, depending on occupancy.
The plant was completed in October 2022, and the water-use licence granted in October 2023, valid for a period of 20 years.
“With this reverse osmosis plant, which uses water that would otherwise be wasted, Boardwalk is happy to once again demonstrate that we are a responsible corporate citizen within Nelson Mandela Bay,” Tsunke concluded.
