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35-898: The Sterkfontein Dam , located just outside the town of Harrismith , in the Free State , province of South Africa , is part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Project and the Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme , and located on the Nuwejaarspruit , a tributary of the Wilge River in the upper catchment area of the Vaal River . It is the second highest dam wall in South Africa and its highest earth fill dam. The rapid economic expansion of

70-404: A crest length of 3,060 metres (10,040 ft) and a full supply capacity of 2,656 million cubic metres (2,153,000 acre⋅ft). At full supply, it has a surface area of no more than 70 km. The extended dam was commissioned in 1980, and has a capacity of 2,616,950 cubic metres (2,121.60 acre⋅ft), with a surface area of only 67.26 square kilometres (25.97 sq mi), the dam wall

105-547: A further 663,000,000 cubic metres (2.34 × 10  cu ft) or 26% can be stored temporarily for flood attenuation. The flood attenuation properties of the dam were severely tested in February 1996 when the largest flood ever recorded at the Vaal Dam site was experienced. An inflow of over 4,700 cubic metres per second (170,000 cu ft/s) was measured into the Vaal Dam which was already at full capacity due to good rains and it

140-594: A large surface area and is relatively shallow, which results in a higher rate of evaporation. It would take 17 years of rainfall to fill the dam. But capturing rainfall was not an important intent behind this project. It was built to capture water from the Tugela river and deliver it into the Vaal system. The dam receives its water via the Tugela-Vaal Water Project later renamed the Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme which

175-510: A military cemetery that are evidence of this. The town's main street, Warden Street, is named after Major Henry D. Warden, at that time a British resident in Bloemfontein . The town is around 90 km east from Bethlehem and 45 km north-east of nearby Phuthaditjhaba . The small nearby hamlet of Swinburne (originally) is named after Sir John Swinburne, a gold prospector . The townships associated with Harrismith are Intabazwe located in

210-572: A municipality and during the diamond rush at Kimberley, Northern Cape , the town became a busy staging post on the Natal transport route. As a direct result of this, hotels, stores and public buildings sprang up. By the 1880s the town was seen as the second largest in the Orange Free State . The increased infrastructure and traffic in the region made fording of the Wilge river impractical. After heavy rains

245-400: Is 47 meters deep. The Vaal Dam lies on the Vaal River , which is one of South Africa's strongest-flowing rivers. Other rivers flowing into the dam are the Wilge River , Molspruit and Grootspruit. It has over 800 kilometres (500 mi) of shoreline and is South Africa's second biggest dam by area and the fourth largest by volume. The construction of Vaal Dam started during the depression of

280-463: Is 93 metres (305 ft) high. The total construction period was 11 years. The Sterkfontein Dam was designed and constructed by the Department of Water Affairs. The dam mainly serves for domestic and industrial use and its hazard potential has been ranked high (3). The dam was named after one of the farms located in the vicinity of its construction. The temporary township for the construction workers

315-524: Is a 1,000 MW pumped hydro storage scheme involving the net transfer of up to 630 million cubic metres (510,000 acre⋅ft) of water from KwaZulu-Natal. This is stored in the Sterkfontein Dam and released to the Vaal Dam via the Wilge River when needed. The Driekloof Dam which is inside the Sterkfontein Dam, is regarded as a separated dam and reservoir, and is not included in the above figures. It

350-558: Is essentially a dam within a dam. Driekloof Dam is the upper storage reservoir of the Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme . If the Sterkfontein Dam were to be empty the Driekloof reservoir would retain the water for the pumped storage scheme to operate unimpeded. When Sterkfontein Dam is at full capacity the Driekloof Dam is submerged up to the top of its spillway. This is the 3rd largest dam in South Africa in terms of water capacity and it

385-531: Is slightly larger than Vaal Dam. The Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve is a protected area located by the dam. Harrismith The municipality was placed under administration in 2018 after then-mayor Vusi Tshabalala was removed from office on the basis of corruption allegations. Being situated halfway between Johannesburg and Durban, the town is generally very busy, especially the N3 freeway that runs past

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420-477: Is unique as the majority of water is sourced by diverting flow from the upper reaches of the Tugela river. This water would otherwise be underutilised and flow into the ocean. The dam was not built on a river but instead, it is sited on what can at best be classed as a large stream in the upper reaches of a valley on the Nuwejaarspruit. The catchment area of the dam is less than three times the water surface area of

455-626: The Thukela River in KwaZulu-Natal to boost the levels in the Vaal River System . Water from the Sterkfontein Dam is released once the Vaal Dam drops to below 16%. The dam has its own island some 5 km (3 mi) long. The island was used as a secret meeting place by the apartheid government but now hosts the annual Round the Island Yacht race, a Guinness Book of World Records title of

490-558: The Bayshore 200 km jetski race, and now the Bayshore Marina Vaal Dam Treasure Hunt. Lake Deneys Yacht Club and Pennant Nine Yacht Club partnered the organisation of a fleet which participated in the inaugural 2014 and second 2015 international "Bart's Bash". Three provinces make up the Dam's shoreline - the Free State has the longest stretch, Mpumalanga has a beautiful and relatively unspoilt shoreline, while

525-558: The Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. By 1931, the Harrismith municipal council had assumed a pseudo-heraldic coat of arms. The shield was divided by a horizontal line, the upper half depicting three upright maize cobs and three sheaves of wheat on a silver background, and the lower half a cornucopia . The crest was a plough, and the motto Grandescunt aucta labore (i.e. by hard work, all things increase and grow). A proper coat of arms

560-563: The annual "Round The Island" yacht race organized by Lake Deneys Yacht Club— a race that has been in the Guinness Book of Records for being the "Most Yachts in an Inland Yacht Race in the World", in which 389 craft crossed the finish line. This race has entered the Guinness Book of Records for the most boats in an inland yacht race. Several large events take place here including Keelboat Week and

595-728: The best access point to the northernmost Drakensberg , including Tugela Falls and Mont-Aux-Sources (accessed via the Sentinel Hiking Trail, in the QwaQwa region of the Free State, 80 km south-west of Harrismith on the R57 ), Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve (20 km southeast of town on the R74 ), Royal Natal Park and the uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site (66 km southeast via Oliviershoek Pass beyond Sterkfontein Dam ) and

630-402: The dam and therefore not risk to a flood. For this reason the main dam wall does not have the need for a spillway. Any excess rainwater can be safely ejected from its outlet valves. The advantage of this location is the Dam is a highly effective reservoir, since it has the depth to store a large amount of water, with very little loss to evaporation. The Vaal Dam lake (reservoir) by comparison has

665-434: The early thirties and the dam was completed in 1938 with a wall height of 54.2 metres (178 ft) above lowest foundation and a full supply capacity of 994,000,000 cubic metres (3.51 × 10  cu ft). The dam is a concrete gravity structure with an earthfill section on the right flank. It was built as a joint venture by Rand Water and the Department of Irrigation (now known as the Department of Water Affairs). The dam

700-548: The full inflow would have been released causing massive damage. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project feeds water into the system by gravity contributing to a stable supply of water to the people and industrial complex of Gauteng . This water is piped from Lesotho into the Liebenbergsvlei and Wilge Rivers . The Sterkfontein Dam forms part of the Tugela-Vaal water transfer scheme for the interbasin transfer of water from

735-456: The greater Johannesburg area in the 1960s and 70s put its water supply under long term threat and it was decided to redirect water from the large Tugela River which was going largely un-used into the sea and store it in large strategic water storage reservoir with very low evaporation. The initial site chosen for this project was in the adjacent valley to the west on the Elands River. This was

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770-480: The largest inland yacht race. On 4 May 1948 BOAC introduced Short Solent flying boats on the UK (Southampton) to South Africa (Vaaldam) service. The small village of Deneysville was used as a stop-over point by the old BOAC flying boats. The Vaal Dam is a fishing venue for freshwater carp and catfish. Its shores are filled with anglers throughout the year. Many world class water sport events are held here including

805-431: The largest town on the Vaal Dam and provides a shopping centre for the Dam. There are three yacht clubs and two marinas. The main angling fish species of the Vaal dam are barbel , common carp , mirror carp , grass carp , smallmouth yellowfish , largemouth yellowfish and mudfish . Egyptian geese and blacksmith lapwing are abundant shore birds, and Caspian terns also occur in large numbers. The greater flamingo

840-399: The most despoiled by far is that of Gauteng . The dam was commissioned in 1939, has a capacity of 2.536 cubic kilometres (2,056,000  acre⋅ft ), and a surface area of 320 square kilometres (120 sq mi), the dam wall is 63 metres (207 ft) high. Due to the large lake size reservoir there is a problem with evaporation, see Sterkfontein Dam for more details. Deneysville is

875-443: The north and Tshiame in the west. Harrismith is well known as an overnight or refreshment stop along the N3 route , and a convenient refuelling stop for trucks and vehicles, but it has much more to offer. Beyond the highway is a previously tidy town with many elegant late 19th century buildings made of hewn sandstone. There are numerous bed & breakfast places catering to visitors. It is

910-442: The perspective of the current government in that time. Construction began in 1969 and the first phase was commissioned in 1977 and comprised a 69-metre (226 ft) high earthfill embankment 2,290 metres (7,510 ft) long with no spillway. After completion of the first phase the decision was made to immediately continue with the final phase and it was subsequently raised in 1980 to its current height of 93 metres (305 ft) with

945-521: The preferred option from an engineering aspect because it would involve a smaller dam wall. However shortly before construction was about to start the site on the Nuwejaarspruit was selected for political reasons because it avoided the partial flooding of the newly planned Bantustan of Qwaqwa in Phuthadichaba. It could have meant this strategic national resource could have been located in a "foreign country" which would have been unacceptable as seen from

980-705: The spectacular Golden Gate Highlands National Park 50 km south-west of town on the R712 . Harrismith is the centre of one of the five wool producing districts in Southern Africa . The town is home to the largest truck stop in the Southern Hemisphere, named Highway Junction. Harrismith is also home to the small Harrismith Airport . Two other places in the world bear the same name: Harrismith Beach and Harrismith House near Bottom Bay in Barbados and Harrismith in

1015-460: The swollen river prevented communication, interrupted transport and claimed lives. The government was petitioned and two bridges were opened in 1884, one six miles towards Bethlehem, and another at the current Swinburne . The use of these were taxed until 1905. Harrismith was a major base during the South African (Anglo-Boer) War and visitors can see the several blockhouses, engineering works and

1050-671: The town. The town was founded in 1849 and named after British Governor Sir Harry Smith . who tried to persuade the Voortrekkers not to abandon the Cape Colony . The town was initially laid out by Robert Moffat about 25 km from the present location, in present-day Aberfeldy on the Elands River . That site however proved to be deficient in water and Harrismith was shifted to its present site in January 1850. Twenty-four years later it became

1085-510: The upper half of a red cogwheel, and on each side is a curved green segment bearing a golden ear of wheat. Once again, the crest was a plough and the motto was Grandescunt aucta labore . Vaal Dam The Vaal Dam in South Africa was constructed in 1938 and lies 77 km south of OR Tambo International Airport , Johannesburg . The lake behind the dam wall has a surface area of about 320 square kilometres (120 sq mi) and

Sterkfontein Dam - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-605: Was built on the Sterkfontein farm. The word sterkfontein means strong spring in Afrikaans . The wall is an earth gravity type. The dam wall contains 19.8 million cubic metres (700 × 10 ^  cu ft) of material making it the largest dam wall in South Africa with regard to volume. The reservoir is impounded by two walls. The second wall is 600 metres (2,000 ft) long and contains 1.04 million cubic metres (37 × 10 ^  cu ft) of material. The dam

1155-512: Was designed (by Schalk Pienaar) in the 1970s, and registered at the Bureau of Heraldry in September 1977. The arms were : Argent, a chevron Azure between in chief an elephant statant proper and in base a demi-cogwheel issuant Gules, two flaunches Vert each charged with an ear of wheat, Or . In layman's terms, the shield is silver and depicts, from top to bottom, an elephant, a blue chevron, and

1190-628: Was only through the expert management of the Hydrology staff at DWAF that the maximum flood released from the dam was limited to 2,300 cubic metres per second (81,000 cu ft/s). Flows above 2,300 cubic metres per second (81,000 cu ft/s) would have caused serious damage downstream of Vaal Dam and the situation during the 1996 flood became extremely tense as the storage in the reservoir peaked at 118.5% of Full Supply Capacity on 19 February 1996 i.e. only 194,000,000 cubic metres (6.9 × 10  cu ft) of flood absorption capacity remained before

1225-429: Was subsequently raised in the early fifties to a height of 60.3 metres (198 ft) which increased the capacity to 2,188,000,000 cubic metres (7.73 × 10  cu ft). A second raising took place in 1985 when the wall was raised by a further 3.05 metres (10.0 ft) to 63.4 metres (208 ft) above lowest foundation. The capacity of the dam is currently 2,609,799,000 cubic metres (9.21642 × 10  cu ft) and

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