COMPANY PROFILE

Scherman Environmental cc. is a specialist consulting firm based in the Eastern Cape with offices in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), South Africa.  The company is active in the environmental, ecological and water quality assessment fields, with a diverse suite of clients based nationally and internationally.

Strategy & Focus

The business is focused on providing clients with a broad range of expertise relating to water resource and environmental management. The company has direct access to high level government authorities within the Department of Water & Environmental Affairs and other competent authorities. The director has also developed strategic working relationships with the majority of engineering firms and respected scientists and specialists, should the need arise to include additional expertise.

Corporate structure

The company is managed as a VAT registered, Closed Corporation CK 2009/112403/23, run by its founding member, namely:

Dr Patsy Scherman has a Ph.D in Biotechnology and has been actively involved in a number of Water Resource Classification and Reserve determination projects over the years, having been the project technical team manager or water quality specialist on a number of these projects. The management includes the co-ordination of technical teams, including hydrologists, yield modellers, socio-economics, wetland, groundwater, estuary and river teams. She has also developed and managed integrated environmental and water quality monitoring programmes; and conducts water specialist studies for EIAs.

Patsy has been involved in the following selected projects:

• Team leader and water quality specialist for the Mzimvubu Classification and RQO Project.
• River specialist on the National Biodiversity Assessment 2018 team.
• Water quality specialist on the Crocodile East and Komati EcoStatus teams.
• Water quality (rivers) specialist and training coordinator on the Mvoti-Umzimkulu Classification, RQO and Reserve study, and Letaba and Komati Classification and RQO studies.
• Team leader and water quality specialist for the Knysna / Swartvlei, Gouritz and Lower Orange Reserve studies.
• Monitoring task for the Komati River Environmental Flow Requirements Project: Water Quality.
• The Vaal Reserve Project (Member of Project Management Team: Water Quality).
• The Determination of Environmental Flow Requirements for the Kafue River, Zambia: Water
• Vioolsdrift and Zalu Dam specialist studies: Reserve components.

Dr Patsy Scherman has a long history of working with the Department of Water and Sanitation. She served as team leader for the PES/EI/ES study for rivers and estuaries of WMA 12 and 15 (now WMA7) in 2010-2013, acted as a Professional Service Provider to the Chief Directorate: Resource Directed Measures regarding water quality and the Ecological Reserve and worked extensively on the Eastern Cape River Health Programme in 2002 to 2005.