Borehole Drilling in Mpumalanga

Geology and what to expect

We have not sourced a geology summary for Mpumalanga. Ask your driller what the survey and nearby boreholes show, and remember that a dry or low-yield borehole is a real risk anywhere.

These are regional pictures. Depths and yields vary widely within a suburb, only a site survey and the driller's log can tell you what your plot will give, and a borehole can be dry.

Borehole drilling prices in Mpumalanga

One online price guide gives R300 to R540 per metre and R41,000 to R98,000 for a typical project, with typical depths of 40 to 110 m.

The price guide lists Nelspruit only. We found no price source for Witbank, Middelburg or other towns.

Prices come from published price guides, not from quotes. The main guide does not say whether its per-metre rates include casing, VAT or mobilisation, and a fully equipped system (pump, tank and installation) costs more than a drilled and cased hole. Ask for written quotes that say what is included.

National pricing guide · Cost calculator

Water quality and SANS 241 priorities

A 2019 paper says surface and groundwater sources are negatively affected by acid mine drainage in Mpumalanga because of the abundance of coal mining. Near coal mining, test sulphate, total dissolved solids, pH, iron and manganese as well as E. coli.

• E. coli: not detected in 100 mL (acute health)
• Sulphate: 500 mg/L (acute health) and 250 mg/L (aesthetic)
• Total dissolved solids: 1,200 mg/L or less (aesthetic)
• pH: 5 to 9.7 (operational)
• Iron: 0.3 mg/L (aesthetic) and 2 mg/L (chronic health)
• Manganese: 0.1 mg/L (aesthetic) and 0.4 mg/L (chronic health)

Whatever the province, the baseline checks are E. coli, nitrate, pH and total dissolved solids. Only a lab test tells you what your water holds.

Water quality guide · Is borehole water safe to drink?