Page 25 - Intra Muros April Issue 2025

ESTATE NEWS

The golf course has a licence for irrigating Therefore, what needs to be done to have sources, but it also wastes a lot of money
the course from boreholes only. Therefore, as little impact as possible on our direct and - Cleanliness of the streets – this includes
the irrigation dams between the 18 neighbouring environments has been part prevention of pollution via stormwater
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and 10 fairways that are used to store of the ethos of the estate’s environmental from our streets into our streams and
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borehole water for irrigation become part management. dams
of the waterway system, of water entering - Although reeds are an invasive species in
the estate and leaving the estate. Putting in place controlling influences on the water system, they can be managed
the water quality and flow through Silver to be advantageous – as a filter, as
Sewage spillage from outside the estate Lakes has been very important. These breeding for birds and fishes. However,
has been an ongoing problem. This has influences include the following: it must be managed closely and
been partially solved by taking control of - Slope of embankments removed regularly as per the prescribed
the pump station at Silver Stream. Pollution - Soil (erosion) – prevention by re- Reed Removal Programme. Through the
of our waterways and dams from outside establishing endemic riverine plants, Environmental Plan, reeds should in
and inside the estate, emanating from rock packing and approved gabions time be replaced by endemic plants in
stormwater dumped into sewage systems, - Establishing endemic plants on slopes order to filter stormwater and as part of
makes for bad water quality entering and embankments the erosion control of embankments
the estate dams and streams. Through - Rainfall – even though we have had - There are many more issues regarding
management and testing, this is managed excessive amounts these past few water that are important. In due
within the estate. We are working towards months, we may have very little erosion course, these will be included in the
getting clean water leaving the estate. and therefore valuable topsoil flowing Environmental Plan, after consultation
out of the estate with other environmentalists who,
A major criterion for Silver Lakes to obtain - Usage of water is monitored through an hopefully, are part of our Silver Lakes
GEO certification was the fact that the golf intensive watering system to prevent community
course had been using organic fertiliser overwatering and water wastage - One of the obvious plans that needs to
for years, with quantities worked out to - Irrigation is therefore managed to the be driven from an environmental side is
the last number so as not to contaminate last millimetre the possible lack of household water
the waterways. You will see the GEO - Fertilisation of the areas along the - There is also the importance of installing
certification posted at the entrances to stream (golf course), as mentioned, solar panels, as we all know...
the HOA office and Club House. The entire are calculated to prevent fertiliser from - We need to determine if all these
estate is seen as one sphere within the city leaching into the water stream – this is points mentioned above influence every
scape that is Tshwane. not only bad for the downstream water homeowner and the HOA properties.

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