Dolomite Guideline

A short guide to available documents on procedures

for developing dolomitic land
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1: 5
Introduction

Section 2: 10
Frequently Asked Questions

Section 3: 12
A Guideline for the assessment, planning and management of ground-
water Resources within dolomitic areas in South Africa:
Department of Water Affairs (2006)

Section 4: 14
Guideline for Engineering Geological characterisation and development
of dolomitic land:
Council for Geoscience and the South African Institute of Engineering and Environ-
mental Geologists (2003)

Section 5: 16
Consultants Guide: Approach to Sites on Dolomite Land:
Council for Geoscience (2007)

Section 6: 18
The Department of Public Works Guideline (2004):
Department of Public Works

Section 7: 20
Geotechnical Site Investigations for Housing Developments:
National Department of Housing

Section 8: 22
Conclusions

3
Section 1:
INTRODUCTION

This booklet aims to give a short and clear sum- form underground as dolomite rock weathers
mary of the available guideline documents and dissolves. If the ground collapses down
dealing with development on karst dolomite into the opening, a sinkhole is formed. Sinkholes
land in South Africa. “Karst” refers to the typi- vary in size from a few centimetres deep to
cal landforms and processes in areas that are many metres. Sinkholes are a serious concern
underlain by dolomite (calcium/magnesium for the planning of roads, buildings and other
carbonate) rock. These rocks can dissolve in infrastructure, and special water precautionary
the presence of water combined with carbon and construction techniques such as under-
dioxide. This is a slow process that happens nat- ground concrete pillars or “piles” sometimes
urally as part of the weathering process. If the have to be used in these areas (this can be
solution process has been carrying on for many seen where the Gautrain route crosses the
millions of years, landforms, erosion features dolomite near Centurion in Gauteng). In South
and subsurface solution cavities and cave sys- Africa the dolomite bedrock areas are typical
tems form a special environment that is referred karst environments. These are not the only karst
to as karst. In some places large openings can areas in South Africa, but are the most impor-
tant due to the history of sinkholes and surface
subsidence occurring in the densely populated
Gauteng Province as well as areas surrounding
the West Rand Gold mining area.

The Department of Water Affairs has devel-

oped a detailed guideline for the Assessment,
Planning and Management of groundwater in
those parts of South Africa underlain by dolo-
mite rocks. The Council for Geoscience and
the Department of Public Works have also pro-
duced documents on dolomite areas, but fo-
cusing more on the development of dolomitic
land for residential and other purposes. These
documents acknowledge that groundwater
management is an important part of reducing
the risk of ground instability in these areas.

This booklet is intended as a short and non-

technical summary or guideline that describes
the role of each of these documents to mu-
nicipal officials, developers and interested
members of the public. The development of
Large sinkhole in the dolomite rocks near Krugersdorp. this booklet is part of the Department of Water

5
Affairs’ Dolomite Project (P14/14/5/2/2). It has
been developed jointly by Water Geosciences
Consulting, the University of Pretoria, the De-
partment of Water Affairs, the Department of
Public Works, and the Council for Geoscience.
A series of detailed maps covering the dolo-
mite groundwater compartments will shortly be
available from the Department of Water Affairs

DEFINING DOLOMITE
The mineral Distribution of dolomitic land in South Africa
Dolomite is a single mineral consisting of the
chemical combination of calcium and mag- About a fifth of the densely populated areas
nesium carbonate (CaMg(CO3)2). in Gauteng Province, some parts of the North
West Province, and most of the gold-mining
districts in the Far West Rand are underlain by
dolomite.

In Gauteng, the dolomite formations comprise

the Malmani Subgroup of the Chuniespoort
Group of the Transvaal Supergroup, which is
2700 million years old. The Subgroup is subdi-
vided into various formations of which some
are chert-poor and some are chert-rich. The
dolomitic formations are, in places, overlain by
Dolomite the mineral (left) and the rock (right)
a relatively thin cover of younger rocks of the
The rock Pretoria Group, Transvaal Supergroup, and/
In South Africa the word ‘Dolomite’, where it or the Karoo Supergroup, and/or mantled by
denotes the rock type, has substituted the word unconsolidated material of Cenozoic age (60
‘Dolomitic Limestone’. Dolomitic Limestone, as million years old).
a natural rock, consists of the mineral dolomite
(CaMg(CO3)2) mixed with calcite (calcium WHY DOLOMITE IS PROBLEMATIC WITH REGARDS
carbonate, CaCO3) and magnesite (magne- TO DEVELOPMENT
sium carbonate, MgCO3). Portions of the rock Rain water (H2O) takes up carbon dioxide
may be richer or poorer in either of the latter (CO2) in the atmosphere and soil to form a
minerals. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock type. weak carbonic acid (H2CO3). The weakly-
The dolomite rock in the Gauteng area formed acidic groundwater circulating along tension
around 300 million years ago. fractures, faults and joints in the dolomitic
succession causes leaching of the carbonate

6
minerals. The carbonates are removed in the porosity and permeability. This process results
form of bicarbonates by groundwater. This in an inverse succession of overburden quality
leaching is most pronounced in the first few with depth as depicted in the diagram below:
tens of metres within bedrock or below the wa-
ter table. This has resulted in a vertically zoned
succession of residual products, which in turn
are generally overlain by geologically younger
formations and soils. This vertical succession
and particularly the lateral variation thereof, is
the key to understanding the prevailing stabil-
ity, or instability, of sites in dolomitic areas.

Hard competent dolomitic bedrock is suc-

ceeded vertically by slightly leached jointed
bedrock and thereafter, through a sudden, Given sufficient time and the correct triggering
dramatic transition, to totally leached, and mechanisms, instability may occur naturally but
incompetent, insoluble residual material con- it can be greatly increased by human activi-
sisting of mainly manganese oxides, chert and ties. The primary triggering mechanisms in such
iron oxides that reflect the original insoluble instances include the ingress of water from
matrix structure. leaking water-bearing services, poorly man-
aged surface water drainage and groundwa-
Depending upon the local subsurface structure ter level drawdown.
this very incompetent, porous and permeable
horizon may in certain locations be up to sev- Topography and drainage, the natural thick-
eral tens of metres thick but is generally less ness and origin of the transported soils and
than ten metres thick. residuum, the nature and topography of the
underlying strata, the depth and expected
With the passage of geological time, concur- fluctuations of the water table, and the pres-
rently with the downward progression of the in- ence of structural features such as faults, frac-
tense leaching of the dolomitic bedrock, com- tures and dykes are all factors which influence
paction by the mass of the overlying materials the risk of subsidence taking place.
has resulted in a progressive densification of
these incompetent materials. Ultimately, sub- Dolines, or compaction subsidences, are
surface fluids may have cemented these older fairly shallow, enclosed depressions. These are
materials to form dense compacted horizons. mainly, but not exclusively, associated with the
action of artificial lowering of the groundwater
Consequently, the vertical succession of the re- level (dewatering). The periphery of the doline
sidual products of leaching reflects an upward is characterised by the presence of tension
increase in competency and a decrease in cracks within a zone of shear.

7
Introduction to groundwater in dolomites, and
role of groundwater in ground instability
Dolomite rocks make up some of South Africa’s
best aquifers. This is because they often sup-
port boreholes and springs which yield a lot
of good-quality groundwater. There are fre-
quently large fissures and openings in the rock,
through which lots of groundwater can move
quickly. These openings are caused by ground-
water naturally dissolving away the dolomite
rock, which usually happens very slowly. This
is also the reason that caves (for example the Doline in Laudium, Pretoria

Sudwala Caves) are often found in dolomites.

Although sinkholes and dolines can form natu-

rally, some human activities may increase the
risk of these events occurring. For example,
water leaks at the surface (from a broken pipe
for instance) can erode the soil cover into
cavities in the dolomite bedrock which can
then result in a sinkhole appearing on surface.
Excessive pumping of groundwater lowers the
underground water level (water table), which
can also raise the risk of sinkholes and ground
instability. Allowing the water table to fluctu-
ate (move up and down) outside of its natural
range also leads to more rock being dissolved,
and can increase the risk of sinkholes. The
maintenance of the original groundwater
conditions within an aquifer can therefore be
critical to dolomite stability. For these reasons,
groundwater management in dolomite areas
which are prone to sinkhole risk is important. It is
not just a case of managing the water resource
for its own sake – groundwater management
decisions can affect the stability of the ground
and the safety of buildings as well.

8
 Map of the Malmani Dolomite outcrop

9
Section 2:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is dolomitic land? What’s so special about building on dolomitic

Dolomitic land is land that is underlain by dolo- land?
mite rocks, which can become weathered or Dolomitic land can be unstable, and may even
“karstified”. See the introductory section of this be dangerous. Specialist building techniques
booklet for more information. may be necessary, and certain types of devel-
opment may not be safe. See the introductory
Why is the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) section of this booklet for more information.
involved with a booklet about building on do-
lomitic land? Who controls development on dolomitic land?
The stability of dolomitic land can depend Various organisations have a role in controlling
partly on the groundwater conditions beneath development on dolomitic land, and permis-
the land surface. DWA is the government de- sion from more than one may well be neces-
partment concerned with managing South sary before development can begin.
Africa’s water resources, and provides informa-
tion to developers and others on groundwater Why are there so many documents relating to
conditions. development on dolomitic land?
Several organisations, including the Council
for Geoscience, the National Home Buidlers
Registration Council, the Department of Public
Works and others have an interest in develop-
ment on dolomitic land. Some of these organi-
sations are legally obliged to be involved with
new development on dolomitic land. Over the
years a number of documents have been pub-
lished which deal with such developments.

What is the Council for Geoscience (CGS)?

The CGS is South Africa’s premier geoscience
organisation, and is legally mandated to de-
velop and publish geoscience knowledge
products and to render geoscience related
services to the South African public and indus-
try.

For more information see their website at:

http://www.geoscience.org.za/

Sinkhole in dolomite

10
Who are the National Home Builders Registra-
tion Council (NHBRC)?
The NHBRC is a statutory council which aims
to protect and provide assistance to housing
consumers, provide assistance to home build-
ers and to Provincial housing Departments and
Local Authorities, to educate home builders,
and other housing related matters.

For more information see their website at:

http://www.nhbrc.org.za/about/about.asp

Does SABS have standards for development on

dolomitic land?
The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
is the organisation responsible for the develop-
ment and publication of standards for goods
and services in South Africa. SABS is due to
release a document (known as SANS 1936) in
the next few months that will cover develop-
ment on dolomitic land. It is important that this
document is consulted by anyone interested
in the technical issues relating to development
on land underlain by dolomite rocks.

11
Section 3:
A GUIDELINE FOR THE ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF
GROUNDWATER RESOURCES WITHIN DOLOMITIC AREAS IN SOUTH AFRICA:
Department of Water Affairs (2006)

The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) have These are:

published a guide for managing groundwa- » Assessment – this means a process of gath-
ter in dolomitic areas. The guide is called “A ering information on the groundwater. How
Guideline for the Assessment, Planning and much is there? What is its quality? How
Management of Groundwater Resources much can boreholes yield? By the end
within Dolomitic Areas in South Africa”. It was of this stage, the water planner will have
published in August 2006, and can be down- a good “conceptual model” of how the
loaded free from the internet at: groundwater exists and what it does.
http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/Other/ » Planning – once information about the
Water%20Resources/DolomiteGuideAug06. groundwater has been gathered, the
asp groundwater resource can be matched
with water requirements. The planner will
What it’s about take into account the limitations and char-
The DWA Guideline is divided into three sec- acteristics of the aquifers which have been
tions. The first section gives an overview of the deduced from the assessment stage. The
Guideline, describes some of the main princi- water resource planner now has a much
ples of modern groundwater management in clearer idea of his or her options.
South Africa, and describes the main environ- » Management – groundwater needs to be
mental laws. This section also outlines the main used “sustainably” – which means that the
areas of dolomite aquifer in South Africa. water use should match the ability of the
resource to deliver a consistent supply with-
The second section goes into more detail about out harming other users or causing ground
managing dolomite groundwater. The differ- instability problems. Typically, a strat-
ent role players (e.g. water boards, hydroge- egy and a management plan are needed.
ologists and water managers) and institutions These take into account what is known
are described. The three main steps leading to about the resource and also the demand.
good groundwater management are outlined.

The components of successful aquifer management

12
Management decisions often require more Further information:
data, and for this reason further assessment Information about the Guideline and about
can be required. Assessment, planning and DWA’s groundwater policies can be found
management should therefore be seen as an at:
interlinked process, in which each step de- http://www.dwaf.gov.za/groundwater/de-
pends on but also informs the previous step. fault.asp

These three steps can also be implemented at DWA also operates a toll-free call centre
different scales – for example, national level (0800 200 200).
groundwater assessment might be quite gen-
eral and broad, but a local scale assessment A second Guideline, based on the dolomite
would need to go into a lot more detail. guideline but covering all aquifers (not just
dolomite) was published in March 2008. This
The final section of the DWA Guideline gives a is called “A Guideline for the Assessment,
series of step-by-step procedures for carrying Planning and Management of Groundwa-
out assessment, planning and management. ter Resources in South Africa”.
This section includes checklists, forms and other
material which is useful to the water planner. It can be downloaded at:
http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/
Who it’s for? Other/Water%20Reso urces/Groundwater-
The DWA Guideline is aimed at water planners, PlanGuideMar08.asp
managers and service providers. It will also
be of interest to engineers, hydrologists and
hydrogeologists who are involved with water
supplies, as well as planners involved with build-
ing developments on dolomite who are con-
cerned about the influence of groundwater on
land stability.

How to use it?

The Guideline is around 300 pages long, but
luckily there is no need to read it from begin-
ning to end! The user can open it at the section
needed for the specific information required.
Different users may need different types of
information from the Guide. The first section of
the Guideline contains an executive summary
and outlines the contents, and should be re-
ferred to first.

13
Section 4:
GUIDELINE FOR ENGINEERING GEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISATION AND DEVEL-
OPMENT OF DOLOMITIC LAND:
Council for Geoscience and the South African Institute of Engineering and
Environmental Geologists (2003)

This pocket-sized yellow booklet was devel- terisation procedures are then discussed, start-
oped by the South African Institute of Engi- ing with an assessment of existing data, and
neering and Environmental Geologists and the continuing into methods such as geophysical
Council for Geoscience, and was published in surveys and exploratory drilling. These methods
2003 by the Council for Geoscience (CGS). The lead on to the characterisation of the site, af-
Geotechnical Division of the South African Insti- ter which the most appropriate development
tution of Civil Engineers has also endorsed this type can be selected. A discussion of risk and
booklet. It forms part of the CGS’ mandate to risk zonation then follows, together with recom-
provide geoscientific knowledge and informa- mended principles for development.
tion to the State and to the public.
Appropriate foundation designs, and the im-
The booklet is a guide to the engineering plementation of precautionary measures such
geological characterisation of dolomite with as the prevention of water infiltration, either
appropriate types of residential development natural or from leaking services is summarised.
on different risk zones. It provides guidelines
and information for all those involved with such The final section is a more detailed summary
developments. The booklet is short (less than 70 and discussion of risk management strategies,
pages) and concise. including the development of a risk manage-
ment plan. Maintenance of infrastructure and
What it’s about? the monitoring of the ground surface move-
The guideline begins with an introduction to ments and groundwater depth and fluctua-
development on dolomitic land, and an over- tions are important parts of a risk management
view of dolomite occurrence in South Africa. strategy.
The reasons for ground instability are explained,
and important features such as sinkholes and The booklet ends with a reference list, and ap-
dolines are described. The guideline then de- pendices outlining Precautionary Measures,
scribes the legal procedures which must be a Risk Classification system with appropriate
followed in order to develop dolomitic land for development types for each Risk Class, and
residential use. Minimum Reporting Requirements for dolomite
investigations.
These include registration and enrolment with
the National Home Builder’s Registration Coun- Who’s it for?
cil (NHBRC), and the steps which must be fol- The guideline is designed to be used by anyone
lowed before work can start (including the sub- who is involved with residential development
mission of a competent person’s report to the on dolomitic land, such as builders, property
CGS for review). Site investigation and charac- developers, municipal officials and ground sta-

14
bility experts. It will also be useful to those con- Further information
cerned with other types of development on The guideline can be purchased from the
dolomites (such as industrial or agricultural de- Council for Geoscience in Pretoria, either in
velopments), since many of the principles are person at their head office in Silverton, Pre-
transferable. The part on stability investigations toria, or by contacting Mrs Thelma Swart at:
and risk characterisation is specifically aimed The Publications Shop,
at the engineering geologist or geotechnical Council for Geoscience,
engineer who will execute a site investigation Private Bag X112,
on dolomitic land for residential development. Pretoria 0001,
Republic of South Africa
How to use it?
The guideline can be read through easily, and thelmas@geoscience.org.za
provides basic information on many issues that
are relevant to dolomite developments. The Tel: (012) 841 1911
guideline is not intended as a substitute for The ISBN number is 919908-45-5, and the
expert advice (for example from a ground sta- cost is R 90.00
bility expert), but it does provide an outline of
what steps are required, and in what order. In The National Home Builder’s Registration
summary, the guideline describes: Council (NHBRC) website is at
» the geological nature of dolomite rock in http://www.nhbrc.org/
South Africa,
» the process of sinkhole formation and their The Council for Geoscience is at
size classification http://www.geoscience.org.za/
» the NHBRC enrolment process
» the necessary requirements for typical do-
lomite stability investigations
» risk assessment
» the selection of appropriate development
types
» suitable foundation types appropriate to
the expected sinkhole size in order to pre-
vent loss of support
» the importance of preparing well thought
out, tailor made risk management

15
Section 5:
CONSULTANTS GUIDE: APPROACH TO SITES ON DOLOMITE LAND:
Council for Geoscience (2007)

The Council for Geoscience (CGS) recently » The middle chapters cover minimum in-
produced their guidelines for consultants en- vestigative and reporting requirements for
titled “Approach to sites on dolomite land, dolomite stability investigations.
November 2007”. These guidelines are to be » The later chapters cover appropriate de-
read in conjunction with the “Guideline for velopment types including development
engineering geological characterisation and densities and specific matters relating to
development of dolomite land” produced in types of development. The information
conjunction with the South African Institute of service provided by the Council’s Dolo-
Engineering Geologists (SAIEG) in 2003. mite Databank which supplies positions
of existing boreholes and reports is also
The more recent document does not replace described.
the earlier one rather it adds to it and provides » Also described is the process of enrolment
functional information on how the CGS enter- with the National Homebuilders Registra-
tains submissions made to it in terms of local tion Council (NHBRC) who require that the
and provincial authorities and NHBRC require- CGS review the proposed development
ments. and co-sign their B4 form.

Ever increasing demands for more intense use Who it’s for
of dolomitic land, which unfortunately is sus- The CGS Guideline is aimed at engineering
ceptible to sinkhole formation, results in more geologists, geotechnical engineers, planners,
people inhabiting and infrastructure being municipal authorities, etc.
erected on such land. The purpose of these
guidelines from the CGS is to provide a stan- As this is a developing science new techniques
dard for and approaches are continually developing
a) dolomite stability risk investigations and and this latest guideline attempts to provide
assessment and the latest approaches to these matters.
b) recognition of appropriate development
of this type of risk surface. How to use it
The 2007 Guideline is around 32 pages long, is a
What it’s about handy guide, and also available in digital form
The CGS Guideline is divided into a number of from the CGS. Different users may need differ-
sections: ent types of information from the Guide such
» The initial sections give a brief overview as the recommended number of drill holes per
of legal responsibilities and obligations for hectare for an investigation or the develop-
practicioners, local authorities and the role ment densities.
of the CGS in development on land under-
lain by dolomite.

16
Further information
The contact details of the Council for Geo-
science’s Dolomite Stability Unit are:
Greg Heath (Manager, Dolomite Stability)
Tel: 012 841 1165 Fax: 012 841 1148
Email: gheath@geoscience.org.za
Tharina Oosthuizen
Tel: 012 841 1160
Email: toosthuizen@geoscience.org.za
Judith Grobler (Administrator)
Tel: 012 841 1152
Email: judithg@geoscience.org.za

Important Note
Both the 2004 Guideline for engineering-
geological characterisation and the 2007
Consultants guide will more than likely be
surpassed by proposed guidelines of the
South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
during mid 2009.

These standards will be known as:

» SANS 10400-B: The Application of the
National Building Regulations, Structural
Design
» SANS 1936 -1: General Principles and Re-
quirements
» SANS 1936-2: Geotechnical Investiga-
tions and Determinations
» SANS 1936-3: Design and construction of
buildings, structures and infrastructure
» SANS 1936-4: Risk Management
» SANS 633: Profiling, percussion borehole
and core logging in Southern Africa
» SANS 644: Geotechnical investigations
for township development
» SANS 2001: Part BE3 Construction works:
repair of

17
Section 6:
THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS GUIDELINE (2004):
Department of Public Works

The Department of Public Works (DPW) has Council For Geoscience and South African
published a consultant’s guide for the appro- Institute of Engineering Geologists (2003).
priate development of infrastructure on dolo- » Water precautionary measures – the water
mite. This guideline document was published precautionary measures are listed as mini-
in August 2004 and can be downloaded free mum standards for each of the risk classes,
from the internet at: including low risk, medium risk and high risk
http://www.publicworks.gov.za areas. The typical infrastructure addressed
are stormwater, sewer, foundations, swim-
What it’s about ming pools, subsurface wet services,
The DPW Guideline is a document informing roads, plumbing, surface drainage and
principle agents and other consultants of the boreholes for water abstraction.
minimum requirements set by the Department » Documentation – examples of tender
when services and infrastructure are upgrad- documents, with specifications and gen-
ed, extended, or where new development eral conditions of contract and schedule
takes place on dolomite. The aim is to ensure of quantities are included.
that development of infrastructure on dolomite
is executed in a safe and sustainable manner. The guideline document is well illustrated with
maps and plates depicting the occurrence of
The first section gives a brief overview of the dolomite and different types of sinkholes and
situation encountered on land underlain by also contains a number of appendices with
dolomite bedrock. The distribution of dolomite details on the dolomite stability investigation
land, negative consequences of inappropri- procedures, scope of work for the engineer-
ate development and general risk classes are ing site investigation and the typical site layout
covered. plans required.

The following sections cover the requirements Particular specifications for compaction, blast-
of the DPW for development of sites on dolo- ing, sinkhole repair, exploratory drilling, subsur-
mite including the dolomite risk assessment face grouting and demolishing of structures
procedure and site selection with emphasis are listed.
on the geotechnical investigation procedures
and general approach when designing infra- This document also serves as to guide the DPW
structure on dolomite land. in the awarding of tenders to contractors with
tables on previous experience and available
The document covers the following in detail: plant that should be included in the tender
» Risk assessment – this process involves the documents. A very useful list of all local authori-
gathering of data during a desk study, field ties and towns located on dolomite land is also
investigations and risk zonation into the ap- provided.
propriate risk classes, as prescribed by the

18
Who it’s for Further information
The DPW Guideline is aimed at engineers Information about the Guideline and about
consulting to the Department as well as other PWD’s infrastructure policies, standards and
consultants such as engineering geologists. The tender documentation can be found at:
content is aligned with the DPW’s Centralised http://www.publicworks.gov.za/consul-
Dolomite Risk Management Strategy for infra- tants-doc/
structure on dolomite that ensures a responsible
development implementation strategy. It may This guideline should ideally be read with
also serve as a comprehensive information the Guideline for engineering-geological
document to planners and the general public, characterisation published jointly by the
highlighting good practice in infrastructure de- Council for Geoscience and SAIEG (2003).
velopment on dolomite land. This guideline sets out the procedures per-
taining to risk assessment on dolomite land.
How to use it
The Guideline is around 200 pages long and
the comprehensive table of contents directs
the user to the appropriate sections, drawings
and standard documents.

The necessary documentation and information

that will be needed by the different competent
persons involved in infrastructure development
are appended to the main text part.

19
Section 7:
GEOTECHNICAL SITE INVESTIGATIONS FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS:
National Department of Housing

The National Department of Housing in col-

laboration with the National Home Builders
Registration Council (NHBRC) has published
a series of Generic Specification Documents
aimed at the subsidised housing sector in South
Africa (e.g. low-cost township developments).

These Specification documents are particularly

aimed at implementation of National Housing
Programmes arising from Chapter 3 of Part 3 of
the National Housing Code.

One of these Specification documents, Geo- Aerial photograph of a sinkhole. (Garfield Krige, 2004)
technical Site Investigations for Housing De-
velopments (Generic Specification GSFH-2), 1. The Preliminary Investigation includes the
contains information about development on gathering of all relevant information and
dolomitic land and the associated groundwa- data.
ter considerations. 2. The Phase 1 investigation is commissioned
by the developer and involves site stability
All of the Specifications can be downloaded investigations, often including drilling and
free from the NHBRC website at: geophysics. The investigation would in-
http://www.nhbrc.org.za/subsidy/TechDocs. clude determining a Site Class Designation
asp for the site, which takes into consideration
the soil properties and makes recommen-
What it’s about dations for construction methods.
The Scope of the GSFH-2 Specification states 3. The Phase 2 investigation is carried out
that the document “contains requirements when the township services (e.g. water
applicable to three phases of Geotechnical pipes) are being installed, and is aimed
Site Investigations in townships, which may be at gathering additional information that
underlain by dolomites or undermined land, becomes available, and updating if nec-
where unoccupied land or undeveloped par- essary the Site Class Designation.
cels of land are to be utilised for housing devel-
opment purposes”. The minimum requirements for each stage of
investigation are described, together with the
The GSFH-2 Specification describes in detail the necessary reporting requirements. Issues such
three different phases of geotechnical investi- as the minimum number of boreholes that
gation that are needed for township develop- need to be drilled for a particular site, the data
ments. These can be summarised as follows: that must be collected during drilling, and the

20
correct way to conduct a gravity survey, are aimed at other aspects of these developments.
addressed.
Further information
The document includes details of what is Can be obtained from the National Home
meant by a “competent person” - who must Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) at
take charge of the investigations. Also includ- http://www.nhbrc.org.za/default.asp .
ed are a list of references, a list of definitions
(e.g. what is meant by a “collapsible soil”), and The NHBRC Head Office can also be con-
three annexures. tacted on the following toll-free phone
number: 0800 200 824
The annexures are as follows:
1. Schedule of generic subsidy variations for
site and founding conditions
2. Earthworks classifications for service
trenches
3. Summary of Buttrick, van Schalkwyk, Kley-
wegt and Watermeyer’s Method for do-
lomite land hazard and risk assessment in
South Africa

Who it’s for

The GSFH-2 Specification will be useful to plan-
ners, regulators and officials involved with the
development of townships on potentially un-
stable land, particularly where these individuals
are involved with implementing Chapter 3 of
Part 3 of the National Housing Code. It will also
be of interest to builders, developers, technical
specialists and others who are involved with
such developments.

How to use it
The GSFH-2 Specification is 27 pages long, and
has a two page executive summary. A de-
tailed table of contents directs the reader to
the appropriate section. For anyone who is seri-
ously involved with the township developments
covered by the Specification, it should be read
in conjunction with the other Specifications

21
Section 8:
CONCLUSIONS

This booklet aims to provide the reader who is

not an expert on dolomite ground stability with
information about the different guidelines or
documents available which apply to develop-
ment or building on dolomitic land.

The names and contact details of several

organisations with considerable expertise in
dolomitic land are also provided, such as the
Council for Geoscience and the National
Home Builder’s Registration Council.

At the time of writing (May 2009), the new Housing development on dolomite near Randfontein

South African Standards Document 1936 cov-

ering development on dolomitic land is not
yet available from the South African Bureau of
Standards (SABS).

However it is due in the next few months, and

readers are advised to consult the SANS 1936
Guideline when available. It is expected that
the SANS Document will be divided into the fol-
lowing four sections:
1. General Principles and Requirements
2. Geotechnical Investigations and Determi-
nations
3. Design and Construction of Buildings and
Structures
4. Risk Management

All future construction on dolomites will need to

follow the requirements of the SANS 1936 docu-
ment.

22
23
Department Of Water Affairs

Contact Details
Physical Address
185 Schoeman Street
Pretoria 0001

Postal Address
Private Bag X313
Pretoria 0001

Telephone Number
0800 200 200

Fax Number
+27 12 336 8664

Website Address
www.dwaf.gov.za
Please check the contents of this document according to the checklist provided below, please
submit changes, if the there is no changes/amendments please sign and email changes/signed
proof back to NeonBlueCS at neonbluecs@gmail.com

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