The Gariep Dam is located in South Africa, near the town of Norvalspont, bordering the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces. Its primary purpose is for irrigation, domestic and industrial use as well as for power generation. It is the largest dam in South Africa.
Name
The
Gariep Dam, at its commission in 1971, was originally named the
Hendrik Verwoerd Dam after
Hendrik Verwoerd, the Prime Minister before and after 31 May 1961, when the country changed from the Union of South Africa to the Republic of South Africa. However, after the end of
apartheid, the Verwoerd name was considered unsuitable. The name was officially changed to Gariep Dam on 4 October 1996.
Gariep is Khoekhoe for "river", the original name of the
Orange River (the longest river in South Africa).
Location
The dam is on the
Orange River about north-east of
Colesberg and south of
Bloemfontein. It is in a gorge at the entrance to the Ruigte Valley some east of
Norvalspont. The dam crest is some above sea level.
Dimensions
The wall is 88 m high and has a crest length of 914 m and contains approximately 1.73 million m
3 of concrete. The Gariep Dam is the largest storage reservoir in South Africa. In South African English, 'dam' refers both to the structure and the water volume it retains. Gariep Dam has a total storage capacity of approximately and a surface area of more than when full. The hydro-electrical power station houses four 90-MW generators.
Design type and contractors
The structure is a concrete gravity-arch hybrid dam. This design was chosen as the gorge is too wide for a complete arch so flanking walls form gravity abutments to the central arch.
It was built by Dumez, a French construction company.
Gariep Dam Bridge
Rivers and spruits flowing into the dam
Water consumption, outflow, derivative usages and diversions
It must be carefully managed by balancing the supply-and-demand of this water resource usage for its derivatives of electricity generation, irrigation, and municipal drinking water. There is trade off in the water usage for electricity and inter-basin transfer for water in other areas like
Port Elizabeth.
Orange–Fish Water Scheme
The scheme diverts water from the
Orange River to the Great Fish River valley.
-
| Great Fish River Water Users Association since 1920 into
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Great Fish River Water Users Association since 1920 Bulk water Pipeline
[http://www.dwa.gov.za/orange/Mid_Orange/fish-sun.htm Department of Water - Fish-Sundays] to
-
Port Elizabeth, Nooitgedracht Water Treatment Works,
Orange-Fish River Tunnel
At
Oviston, on the south bank of the reservoir, is the inlet of the Orange-Fish River Tunnel, allowing water to be diverted to the Great Fish River and most of the
Eastern Cape's western parts.
Gariep hydroelectric power plant
A 360-MW hydroelectric power plant is one is run by Eskom. Four 90-MW hydro turbines (which are remotely controlled from
Gauteng)
Gallery
File:Gariep dam overflowing in Jan 2011.jpg|Gariep Dam overflowing in January 2011
File:Sunset at Oviston Gariep photo by Siloam Village.JPG|Sunset at Oviston Nature Reserve on the dam's southern shores
File:GC Gariep Dam (7).JPG|Road sign heading for the dam wall
File:GC Gariep Dam (11).JPG|View over the lake
File:GC Gariep Dam (14).JPG|Forever Holiday Resort at Gariep Dam
See also
-
List of rivers of South Africa
-
List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
External links
Videos - Opening | Documentaries | Construction
Videos - Aerial | Presentation
Other
