Kempton Park has mixed ground. Karoo sandstone, shale and tillite cover much of it, resting on older basement rock, and dolomite may occur toward the north on the Tembisa side. Expect variation even between nearby stands.
Close to OR Tambo International Airport, the area blends family suburbs like Birchleigh and Glen Marais with industrial nodes such as Spartan and Isando, plus smallholdings in Pomona.
What Is Under Kempton Park
| Formation | Where it sits | What it means for drilling |
|---|---|---|
| Karoo sediments (Ecca) | Beneath the soil across the plains and pans | Drills at a moderate pace. Yields are fracture-controlled and often modest away from intrusions. |
| Dolerite sills and dykes | Intruded through the Karoo rocks | Hard to drill, but their baked and fractured contacts are the best targets in Karoo ground. |
| Older basement under the cover | Below the Karoo, depth unknown until drilled | May be dolomite, reef quartzite or granite depending on where you are, each behaving differently. |
Send your street and what the water is for, and get an itemised quote for Kempton Park.
Get a Kempton Park Borehole QuoteWhat That Means for Your Borehole
- Siting looks for intrusions and fracture lines rather than depth alone.
- Dolomite underneath brings extra checks through Ekurhuleni's Dolomite Section.
- Yields are typically modest to moderate so storage is usually part of the system.
Where We Work Around Kempton Park
- Birchleigh and Birchleigh North
- Glen Marais and Norkem Park
- Bonaero Park and Aston Manor
- Edleen and Van Riebeeck Park
- Spartan and Isando industrial areas
- Pomona smallholdings
- Esselen Park toward Tembisa
What to Watch For Here
Ground type can shift within a short distance. Karoo cover over Kempton Park varies in thickness, and what lies below is not the same everywhere. Toward Tembisa there may be dolomite, which can bring better water but also stability concerns. We review the available information for your specific erf and treat any dolomite indication with real caution.
Airport-zone businesses should check extra rules. Industrial and logistics sites near OR Tambo often have lease conditions, landlord approvals and far higher water demand than a household. Commercial abstraction can trigger national registration or licensing. Municipal authorisation is required before a rig arrives, and the metro checks both dolomite risk and demand management.
What the Water Is Used For
- Garden irrigation for Birchleigh and Glen Marais homes
- Washing trucks at Spartan and Isando depots
- Paddocks and food gardens on Pomona plots
- Shared landscaping in Norkem Park complexes
- Backup water for homes during municipal supply interruptions
Wellpoint or Borehole?
Seldom viable. There is no clean sand aquifer here, and shallow water near pans is exposed to runoff. Drill instead.
Approval and Abstraction
Kempton Park falls under the City of Ekurhuleni. Both main metros require approval before drilling. The City of Johannesburg requires an application to its Environment and Infrastructure Services Department, and an approved application comes with a drilling certificate that has to be kept on site while the rig works; drilling without one risks a fine and impoundment of equipment. The City of Ekurhuleni requires authorisation, with applications reviewed by its Dolomite Section and by Water Demand Management. Elsewhere, including Mogale City, confirm the municipality's current requirements. Separately, the National Water Act governs how much you may abstract: reasonable domestic use generally falls under Schedule 1, and in 2026 the Department of Water and Sanitation confirmed that households using borehole water for reasonable domestic purposes do not need to register nationally. Commercial, agricultural and larger abstraction may need registration or a water use authorisation. Rules change, so confirm the current position before drilling.
Where the ground is dolomitic there is a further layer. Development on dolomite land is governed by SANS 1936 and stability information is held by the Council for Geoscience, so additional approvals may be needed before a rig is allowed on site. Establish that early, because it affects the programme as well as the paperwork.
Related Services
For the drilling process itself, the geology across the wider area and how a quote is put together, see Borehole Drilling Johannesburg.
Nearby Areas
Borehole Prices in This Area
Drilling is charged per metre, so depth drives the total. The ranges below are framed for local ground conditions and access.
| Item | Indicative range | What moves it locally |
|---|---|---|
| Drilling, per metre | R450 - R1,100 /m | Karoo sediments drill at a moderate pace, dolerite slowly. Meeting dolomite beneath adds chert and cavity risk. |
| uPVC casing, installed, per metre | R400 - R700 /m | Weathered Karoo shale and clay are cased through, and dolomite beneath can add more. |
| Mobilisation and site establishment | R2,500 - R9,000 | Access and site conditions move this; a site visit settles it before quoting. |
| Water survey | R5,000 - R12,000 | Targets structure rather than depth. Worth most where yield is fracture-dependent. |
| Yield testing | R3,500 - R15,000 | Establishes the sustainable rate that pump selection depends on. |
| Pump, supplied and installed | R15,000 - R45,000 | Greater depth means more head, which means a larger pump and heavier cable. |
| Storage and booster | R12,000 - R35,000 | Needed wherever peak demand exceeds the borehole's sustainable rate. |
| Typical complete project | R60,000 - R180,000+ | Everything above, excluding treatment, which depends entirely on the water analysis. |
These are indicative ranges, not a quotation. They are compiled from published South African supplier and contractor pricing to give you a starting point for budgeting. They are not our rate card, and no figure here is a commitment.
Treat them as a broad guide only. Published borehole pricing in South Africa varies enormously - 2026 guides quote per-metre drilling rates for Gauteng ranging from under R300/m to R1,500/m, a spread of more than five to one - because depth, geology, access, specification, distance and fuel costs all move the number. Depth in particular is not known until the hole is finished. Figures generally exclude VAT unless noted, and change over time. Only an itemised written quote against your actual site means anything.
Kempton Park Borehole FAQs
Is Kempton Park on Karoo rock or dolomite?
Over most of Kempton Park the visible rock is Karoo, resting on older basement. Dolomite may occur toward the north and the Tembisa side, but boundaries are uncertain and depth to older rock varies.
Because the picture is mixed, we check what municipal and geological information shows for a specific erf rather than relying on a general map.
Can logistics companies near OR Tambo drill for their own water?
Yes, subject to approvals. Ekurhuleni authorisation comes first, and depending on volume a commercial user may also need to register with DWS or obtain a licence. Leased premises usually need landlord consent too.
Plan for a water analysis as well, since iron and manganese in Karoo water can foul pressure washers, recycling plants and storage tanks over time.
Are boreholes common on Pomona smallholdings?
Many plots there rely on boreholes for animals, gardens and household backup. Yields vary, as Karoo sandstone carries water mainly in fractures and near dolerite contacts, while tillite is typically poor.
Many older plots already have a borehole, and an existing hole may be worth testing, cleaning or rehabilitating before paying for a new one.
How do I know if my Kempton Park stand might be on dolomite?
The municipality and the Council for Geoscience hold information on dolomite stability, and Ekurhuleni's Dolomite Section reviews drilling applications. Your property's title or development conditions may also refer to dolomite.
If dolomite is flagged, follow the municipality's conditions closely, including any limits on water use and stormwater, since the SANS 1936 standard applies on such land.
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