An inorganic water chemistry dataset (1972–2011) of rivers, dams and lakes in South Africa

The dataset comprised a national collection of inorganic surface‑water chemistry data for rivers, dams and lakes across South Africa. It contained more than 500 000 complete chemical analyses collected between 1972 and 2011 from over 2 000 monitoring stations operated under the South African National Chemical Monitoring Programme. The dataset included measured concentrations of major ions, pH, electrical conductivity, total alkalinity and total dissolved solids, together with numerous calculated variables used to assess analytical accuracy and water quality characteristics.

Original data were obtained from the Department of Water Affairs and the CSIR, after which the dataset was extensively processed to remove incomplete analyses and to add derived parameters such as stoichiometric charge balance, ionic strength, calculated electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, sodium adsorption ratio and other hydrochemical indicators. These processing steps improved internal consistency and usability for hydrogeochemical, environmental and water‑quality studies.

The dataset was organised into user‑friendly Excel spreadsheets and included supplementary files describing sampling locations, monitoring periods and station metadata. The resulting dataset provided a long‑term baseline for assessing spatial and temporal trends in South African surface‑water chemistry and supported research, water‑resource management and quality‑control improvements in laboratory analysis.