Secure Your Water Supply with South Africa’s Trusted Groundwater Specialists.
From scientific siting to drilling and installation, we provide complete water solutions for mines, farms and homes across Southern Africa since 2002
THE REALITY ON THE GROUND
Whether it is a mine, a farm or a house,
the problem starts in the same place.
South Africa is running out of surface water. Dam levels drop. Municipal supply fails. Boreholes that worked five years ago run dry. And whether you’re running a mine, a farm, or a household, the cost of getting your water strategy wrong is climbing every year.
Compliance pressure. Production at stake.
- Surface water sources running out, and your operation can't pause for a tender process
- Compliance officers asking for sustainable yield reports you don't have
- One dry borehole costs more than the science to site it properly
Dry seasons getting longer. Margins aren't.
- Crops and livestock need water on a schedule the weather no longer keeps
- An irrigation borehole that fails mid-season is a season's revenue gone
- You need a yield you can plan around, not a guess based on the neighbour's hole
Tired of municipal failures and rising bills.
- Tap water that comes and goes, and bills that only go up
- Quotes that vary by R40,000 between drillers, with no way to compare
- Stories from neighbours about boreholes that ran dry six months in
If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place. Aqua Earth has spent more than two decades solving these exact three problems, with science, not guesswork.
Albertus Lombaard
Founder & Lead Hydrogeologist
"Too many borehole companies treat groundwater like a lottery. It isn't. The science exists to know, within reason, what's under your land before you drill the first metre."
You don't need another driller. You need a hydrogeologist.
Most borehole companies sell holes. We sell the science that decides where to drill, how deep to go, and whether you should drill at all.
Aqua Earth has worked across Southern Africa since 2002, siting and drilling boreholes for platinum and gold mines, large-scale farming operations, government departments, hospitality groups, and homeowners who’d rather get it right the first time than re-drill in three years.
We’re a team of hydrogeologists and geologists, not just drillers with a rig. That’s the difference between a hole that produces water for two decades and one that runs dry in two seasons.
HOW IT WORKS
From question to water
in three steps
Whether you’re a mine GM, a farmer, or a homeowner, this is what working with us looks like.
Free Site Assessment
We talk through your site, your water needs, and what success looks like. For commercial and agricultural sites, this includes a desktop hydrogeological review at no cost. We tell you what's likely under your land before you spend a cent on drilling.
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A clear answer on whether drilling makes sense, where to site it, and what to expect.
Science First, Then Steel
If we recommend drilling, our hydrogeology team runs the geophysical surveys, sites the borehole properly, and our drilling crew constructs it to BWASA standards. Every step documented.
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A borehole drilled with intention, not by guess. With sustainable yield data, not just a hole.
Tested. Equipped. Yours.
We pump-test for sustainable yield, run water-quality analysis, install pumps and tanks (or solar pumps where suitable), and hand you a complete water supply system. Plus the reports your auditor, compliance officer, or future buyer will ask for.
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Water flowing, paperwork sorted, a system you understand and own.
Step 1 is free - and it's where the real value happens.
Find your path
Three different sites.
Three sets of priorities.
Three tailored ways we work.
Mining & Industrial
Sustainable Yield. Compliance-Ready. Audit-Proof.
For mines, petrochemical plants, and large industrial sites that need water security, dewatering management, or compliance-grade groundwater reporting. We handle the hydrogeology, drilling, testing, and documentation your operations and compliance teams need.
What’s included
Groundwater feasibility · mine dewatering design · compliance reporting · production boreholes · monitoring programmes
Agricultural
Water You Can Plan a Season Around.
For commercial farms, irrigation operations, and livestock-heavy properties. We site, drill, and equip boreholes that deliver the sustainable yield your crops or herd actually need, and we tell you straight if the numbers don’t work before you spend on equipment.
Irrigation borehole design · sustainable yield analysis · solar pumping · livestock reticulation · yield monitoring
Domestic
Off the Municipal Grid. On Your Own Water.
For homeowners, estates, and small properties tired of failing municipal supply, rising water bills, and unreliable boreholes from cheaper drillers. We bring mining-grade science to your back garden, with a smaller, low-impact rig that won’t damage your driveway.
What’s included
Residential drilling · siting & surveys · solar pumps · water-quality testing · ongoing maintenance
IN THEIR WORDS
What clients say
after working with us
R Myburgh
Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAPASA 2019/1037)
We’ve run multiple mining right and water use licence projects through Aqua Earth. Remote sites, difficult formations, shifting scopes. They deliver on time and within budget every time. Their communication throughout is exceptional. I recommend them without reservation.
G Wantenaar
Managing Director
Across years of projects, Aqua Earth have kept a flawless safety record, zero major incidents, without ever slowing us down. Their geological read on subsurface conditions puts boreholes in the right place, engineered to last. We recommend them without hesitation.
M Lourens
Principal Technical Consultant
Over ten years and more than forty oil and gas sites, I’ve never recorded a single near miss on Aqua Earth’s work. They’re first on site, quote fast, and their data supports my interpretations. My preferred environmental drilling contractor, without hesitation.
HONEST ANSWERS
The questions everyone wants to ask
before they phone
No fluff. The honest answers we’d give over coffee.
What happens if you drill and we don't hit water?
This is the single biggest fear in the borehole industry, and the reason hydrogeology matters before drilling. We won’t recommend drilling unless our siting work suggests a reasonable likelihood of yield. If we do recommend it and the borehole comes in below expectations, we’ll tell you what we’ve found, what the options are, and where we recommend trying again.
What does a borehole cost?
It depends on depth, geology, casing requirements, and what you’re equipping it with. Domestic boreholes in Gauteng typically run a wide range including pump and tank. Agricultural and industrial boreholes vary widely depending on yield required and depth. We provide a clear, itemised quote after the free site assessment, and we’ll tell you up-front if a project doesn’t make economic sense before you commit.
How long from first phone call to water flowing?
For domestic projects with no permitting complications: typically 2–4 weeks from the assessment to a working pump. For agricultural and industrial projects with more siting work, larger boreholes, or DWS permitting: 6–14 weeks is typical. We give you a realistic timeline at the assessment stage, not after we’ve taken your deposit.
Do you only work in Gauteng?
Our head office is in Randburg, but we operate across South Africa and into the wider Sub-Saharan region. We’ve worked on mining projects in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, and across borders. For commercial-scale work we’ll travel; for domestic work we focus on Gauteng and key surrounding areas to keep costs sensible.
How do we know you're not just another driller with a rig?
Three answers. We’ve been at this since 2002. Our team includes registered hydrogeologists, not just operators. And we hold ISO 9001 certification, BWASA membership, and Level 2 B-BBEE status, these aren’t marketing claims; they’re audited annually. Phone our office and we’ll send you the certificates.
Do you handle DWS permitting and compliance reporting?
Yes. For mining and large industrial projects we provide groundwater feasibility studies, sustainable yield calculations, and ongoing monitoring reports that meet Department of Water and Sanitation requirements. For domestic boreholes, permitting is generally simpler and we’ll guide you through it.
Do you also install the pump and tank?
We install the entire system, pump, control panel, tank, and reticulation, or we’ll work with your preferred pump installer if you have one. We also install solar borehole pumps for clients who want to take pumping costs off the grid. Pump-only installations on existing boreholes are also available.
Do I need to be on-site during drilling?
No. We document every step, siting reports, drilling logs, water-strike depths, yield testing, and you receive a full project pack at the end. For commercial projects, we send daily progress updates by email. You’re welcome to be on-site for any stage you’d like to see; it’s not required.
HONEST ANSWERS
Your water strategy. Built on science.
Starting with a free conversation.
Whether you’re a mine planning the next 20 years of operation, a farmer planning next season, or a homeowner planning the next 10,000 litres, the first step is the same. A 30-minute conversation. No quote pressure. No commitment. If we can help, we’ll tell you. If we can’t, we’ll tell you that too.