Selected Projects

Featured Project: Gwaing Wastewater Treatment Works

At Gwaing waste-water treatment works (WWTW), Upstream worked with the engineers to integrate aquatic and water use requirements into the upgrade design, including UV disinfection to reduce ecological risk and improve long-term compliance. Upstream also quantified the rehabilitation area needed to compensate for aquatic habitat loss and developed rehabilitation objectives for the incised wetland downstream of the discharge, avoiding the need for a formal wetland offset.

Additional experience: Kurland, Ratanda, Touws River, Loerieheuwel and Umzamowethu Wastewater Treatment Works, Herold’s Bay Country Estate, Ladismith Cheese Factory, Mooivallei Suiwel, including aquatic assessments, water use authorisation and ecological management recommendations.

Featured Project: George Bus Depot

Upstream’s aquatic assessments informed a substantially improved development layout incorporating wetland protection, stormwater detention and bioretention measures. These changes reduced the assessed aquatic impacts from Medium–High to Low, demonstrating the value of integrating ecological expertise early in project design.

Additional experience: Touws River Affordable Housing Development (approximately 900 units), Hoogeland mixed-use development (approximately 644 ha) and Hansmoeskraal, involving wetland delineation, aquatic constraints mapping, buffer determination and development layout planning.

Featured Project: Grobbelaars River, Oudtshoorn

Following extensive river habitat degradation, Upstream combined field investigations with historical GIS analysis to assess habitat loss and develop a practical rehabilitation approach. Recommendations included geomorphic repair, improved flow management, indigenous revegetation and soft-engineering measures to restore ecological function.

Additional experience: Camfersdrift River flood-damage rehabilitation, Garden Route road and culvert replacements, Bokkeriviere crossing repairs and maintenance management planning across six CapeNature reserves.

Featured Project: Prince Albert 5 MW Solar PV Plant & Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

Upstream assessed alternative development sites and confirmed that the preferred location had low aquatic sensitivity, while another alternative presented significantly greater ecological constraints. The findings supported selection of the lower-impact site and preparation of an Aquatic Biodiversity Compliance Statement.

Additional experience: Overberg Wind Energy Farm (the largest wind farm in South Africa) and Groot Brak Wastewater Treatment Works Solar Development, involving aquatic biodiversity assessments, watercourse avoidance and environmental compliance.

Featured Project: Coega Quarry

Detailed field investigations refined the desktop aquatic sensitivity findings and established a 28 m wetland buffer. With appropriate stormwater management, erosion control and operational mitigation measures, all residual aquatic impacts were assessed as Low.

Additional experience: Driefontein, Brewelskloof and Kleyn Hagel Kraal Quarry, including aquatic impact assessments, groundwater-related risk evaluation, water use authorisation, stormwater management and rehabilitation planning.

Featured Project: Mooivallei Dairy

At Mooivallei Dairy, Upstream integrated the proposed advanced waste-water treatment, effluent storage and irrigation reuse into the water use licence authorisation process, supporting a zero-discharge-to-water-resource approach for high-strength dairy effluent. The work at the WWTW spanned WULA applications and amendments through to operational compliance and corrective-action support. 

Additional experience: Vector Logistics, Ladismith Cheese Factory, including industrial wastewater management, water use authorisation, treatment, storage, discharge, irrigation and compliance support.

Featured Project: George Raw Water Balancing Dam

Construction-phase aquatic monitoring identified emerging environmental problems while corrective action was still possible. Upstream provided practical on-site recommendations to address developing risks, demonstrating how proactive monitoring can support environmental compliance and reduce the likelihood of longer-term impacts.

Additional experience: Schaapkop Rising Main Sewer Pipeline and other infrastructure projects involving Water Use Licence compliance audits, water-quality monitoring, aquatic habitat assessments and biomonitoring.

Private Sector

Afrimat groupAtterbury (Pty) Ltd; Cape Zircon (Pty) Ltd; Ciolli Bros (Pty) Ltd; DenRon (Pty) Ltd; iX Engineers (Pty) Ltd; Kinetic Catamarans (Pty) Ltd; Kirsten & Tulleken Vervoer CC; Kolkiesrivier (Pty) Ltd / Organiworx; Ladismith Cheese Company (Pty) Ltd; Lukhozi Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd; Lyners Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd; Mainstream Renewable Power Developments (Pty) Ltd; Outeniqua Game Farm; Plateau Mining Services (Pty) Ltd; Sapphire Ocean Investments (Pty) Ltd; Sea Harvest Group Limited / Mooivallei DairyTerracon Properties (Pty) Ltd; Tree SanctuaryVector Logistics (Pty) Ltd; Zaayman Boerdery; Zutari Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd

Selected Municipal Clients

Garden Route District Municipality;Breede Valley Municipality; Bitou Local Municipality; City of Cape Town; George Municipality; Hessequa Local Municipality; Knysna Municipality; Kouga Municipality; Lesedi Local Municipality; Mossel Bay Municipality

Government & Public-Sector Clients

Upstream also regularly works alongside environmental assessment practitioners, engineering consultancies, developers, town planners, agricultural businesses and multidisciplinary teams.

Cape Nature Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS); Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd; South African National Parks (SANPark); South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL); Western Cape Government – Department of Infrastructure