Training and learning workshop - Resilient design for dry times: The case for decentralised water reuse

VENUE: NEW ENGINEERING BUILDING, JOHN MARTIN BOARDROOM, ROOM 5.01, LEVEL 5, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, CAPE TOWN
DATE: 14 NOVEMBER 2025 | TIME: 10:00 TO 14:00
REGISTRATION LINK: HTTPS://FORM.JOTFORM.COM/253015855336558
(PLEASE FILL USING THE ABOVE LINK LET US KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE ATTENDING BY 07 NOVEMBER 2025)

HOSTED BY: WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION (WRC) IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN (UCT) FUTURE WATER INSTITUTE AND SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (SFPUC)

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

South Africa faces mounting pressure to secure water supplies amid rapid urban growth, climate variability, and infrastructure constraints. It is predicted by 2030 water demand will exceed water supply. New, innovative water supply models are required to deal with the country’s water scarcity. Decentralised water reuse offers an opportunity to build local resilience by reclaiming and reusing water close to where it is generated. In the same way that households across South Africa have adopted municipal backup solutions—such as municipal tap water storage solutions, rainwater tanks and boreholes— to cope with water supply interruptions, decentralised water reuse systems are poised to become the next evolution in sustainable water management. Municipalities must begin planning for this shift, integrating decentralised reuse into future service delivery models to enhance resilience, reliability, and long-term water security.

This training workshop, hosted by the Water Research Commission (WRC) in collaboration with the University of Cape Town’s Future Water Institute, brings together municipal engineers, planners, regulators, and researchers to explore the practical implementation of decentralised water reuse.

The workshop features Paula Kehoe, Director of Water Resources at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), who will share San Francisco’s global leadership experience in onsite non-potable reuse and how lessons from the U.S. regulatory, institutional, and technological frameworks can be adapted to the South African context.

By combining international best practice with South African research and case studies, the workshop aims to:
• Strengthen municipal understanding of decentralised reuse models.
• Build technical and institutional capacity for project implementation.
• Promote collaboration between utilities, academia, and industry.
• Support pathways for scaling WRC-supported reuse technologies across municipalities.

WORKSHOP PROGRAMME