ABSTRACT
Increased concern over the deterioration in the quality of surface-water resources in South Africa has led to fundamental changes in the approaches to national water-quality management. The new approaches promote sustainable development and focus on procedures to ensure that surface waters remain fit for use by all recognized water users. In addition, strict precautions limit the entry of toxic substances into the aquatic environment. Domestic and industrial effluent is recognized as an important water resource and current management practices promote the concept of effluent recycling and reuse within strict safety limits. Achieving an equitable balance between the often conflicting demands of different water users presents enormous challenges to their water resource managers. As an integral and important part of the water-quality management process, water users and their representatives must participate actively in the communication and information-sharing process. A detailed water-quality monitoring program is used to evaluate compliance with management objectives.
