UCT Water Reuse Policy (in place by 2024)

  1. Existence of a Policy to Maximise Water Reuse 

    UCT has an institutionally supported, formally implemented Sustainable Water Management Strategy and drought-resilience implementation framework—developed and updated between 2020 and 2024—which explicitly includes maximising water reuse (rainwater, stormwater, greywater, and treated effluent). Although not presented as a single, standalone “Water Reuse Policy,” the following public, University-approved components collectively constitute an operational policy framework for maximising water reuse across the institution:

    1. UCT Sustainable Water Management Strategy (SWMS), reviewed 2022–2024
      • The SWMS, implemented through the UCT Water Task Team and Water Desk, includes:
        “Rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, increased use of treated effluent, stormwater harvesting, and aquifer recharge” as core pillars of UCT’s water-management policy.
        (Documented in UCT’s Day Zero Review / Water Strategy presentation, 2024 presented by A/Prof Kirsty Carden at the 3rd Higher Education Conference, 10 October 2024).)
    2. Campus Development & Green Building Standards (Council-approved in 2023)
      • UCT’s Council-approved “Minimum Green Building Construction Standard” includes mandatory requirements for new builds and major refurbishments to integrate:
        “Water-efficient fixtures, water re-use systems and rainwater harvesting infrastructure.”
        (UCT News, 2024.)

    3. Operational policy in residences and new buildings

      • UCT requires new buildings to incorporate rainwater and greywater reuse for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing and irrigation (seen at the d-School Afrika building).

      Together these demonstrate a university-level policy framework that both mandates and operationalises water reuse.

  2. Evidence of Policy Implementation
    1. d-School Afrika (opened 2023/24): operational rainwater-reuse system
      UCT News confirms that the building includes:“rainwater storage tanks used to irrigate gardens and flush toilets”. This is a direct, physical implementation of a water-reuse system on campus.
    2. UCT Day Zero Review & Water Strategy (public presentation, 2024)
      The 2024 institutional review explicitly documents that UCT’s water-resilience plan includes:
      “rainwater harvesting, greywater, borehole optimisation, and access to treated effluent”
      as major initiatives at campus level.
      (“UCT’s ‘Day Zero’ experience: lessons and future strategy”, 2024 presentation.)
    3. Rainwater-harvesting feasibility studies across campus (2023–2024)
      UCT researchers (Future Water / Civil Engineering) conducted evaluations of rainwater harvesting potential across upper and middle campuses, analysing storage, yield, and reuse potential. These were published in peer-reviewed outlets and UCT research repositories (2023–2024).
    4. Stormwater harvesting and aquifer recharge (PaWS living lab, 2019–2025)
      Although off-campus, this UCT-led project demonstrates UCT’s research-driven implementation of stormwater reuse and groundwater recharge technology with relevance to UCT’s campus water-reuse strategy. The PaWS project studies:
      “stormwater harvesting, nature-based treatment, and opportunities for managed aquifer recharge (MAR)”
      (PaWS project description, Future Water Institute.)
  3. Evidence is public
    All evidence cited above is publicly accessible, including:
    • UCT News articles (2024) — describing operational reuse systems and green-building standards.
    • UCT “Day Zero” Review and Water Strategy presentation (2024) — publicly available on UCT’s environmental sustainability platform.
    • Future Water Institute project pages describing PaWS, stormwater harvesting, and MAR pilots.
    • Peer-reviewed UCT research (2023–2024) on rainwater-harvesting and reuse feasibility.
    • Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) announcements confirming water-sensitive design in UCT buildings.
  4. Policy created or reviewed 2020–2024
    UCT’s water strategies and green-building requirements were updated and formally reviewed within the 2020–2024 period, satisfying the criterion:
    1. 2023 Council-approved “Minimum Green Building Construction Standard”
      Requires incorporation of water-reuse systems in all new and major renovation projects (rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, efficiency measures). Approved June 2023.
    2. UCT Sustainable Water Management Strategy updated in 2022–2024
      Documented through the Water Task Team’s ongoing work and the 2024 Day-Zero strategic review.
    3. Expansion of water monitoring and reuse pilots (2022–2024)
      Digital metering, reuse planning, feasibility assessments, and treated-effluent studies were all executed within this timeframe.