GreenSource: Sustainable water quality

Local officials and the South African Water Research Commission worry about water quality and quantity in the northwest province of South Africa. Severe drought and groundwater pollution from mining, industrial activity and agricultural irrigation raise serious concerns about drinking water supplies. A group of companies plans to install 20 sustainable drinking water systems, called GreenSource, Sports for Water, in conjunction with sports facilities located at provincial schools. The systems will employ synthetic turf and geotextiles manufactured by TenCate, Almelo, The Netherlands; water filters and pumps from Pentair, Minneapolis, Minn.; and water buffering and pipe systems from Wavin Group, Zwolle, The Netherlands. GreenSource provides filtration and safe water storage, with filtered water used for drinking water and agricultural irrigation. The system provides approximately 50 liters a minute of safe drinking water, according to the Advanced Materials Manufacturing Oost-Nederland Foundation, which is monitoring the innovative systems.