With the Western Cape currently experiencing the country’s worst drought since 1904 and level 4b water restrictions still firmly in place, saving water has now become more crucial than ever.
One of Cape Town’s most popular hotels, the Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront, has introduced various interventions and methods in order to recover, reuse and store water. These practices have been put in place in order to limit the hotel’s impact on the environment and municipal water supply.
The hotel has implemented two grey water collection systems; the first collection system treats and stores water from the kitchen and a number of rooms, and is used to flush the public toilets in the banquet area and staff ablutions. Another use for it is to water the gardens throughout the hotel.
The second collection system recycles back-washed water back into the swimming pool.
“It is astonishing that in South Africa we use fresh, potable water for flushing toilets. Abroad, it is commonplace to use greywater for this purpose. We can now proudly say that The Table Bay is doing the same within our banquet area and staff ablutions,” said Joanne Selby, General Manager at The Table Bay Hotel.
The hotel has also altered the way it manages their gardens by planting water-wise plants and replacing flowering plants with succulents. A drip system, which reduces water consumption by up to 60%, has replaced the hotel’s irrigation system.
“We are also experimenting with various water saving devices in the kitchens where water usage is necessary. These include devices such as flow restrictors on taps and energy and water efficient showerheads,” Selby said.
“Guests receive a letter on check in advising them that water has become a scarce resource due to the increasing water shortages in the Western Cape, and we ask that they please be conscious of their water usage and use it sparingly. We also have cards in the bathroom; at the basin, the bath and the shower as well as the public ablutions asking guests to be water smart.”
Photography Societi Bistro