What is the level of the Gariep Dam?
119%
At the Gariep Dam the current level of the dam is 119% while outflow has reached 2 550 m3/s (cubic meters per second).
How high is the Gariep Dam wall?
88 m high
The wall is 88 m high and has a crest length of 914 m and contains approximately 1.73 million m³ of concrete. The Gariep Dam is the largest storage reservoir in South Africa.
When last did the Gariep Dam overflow?
The dam wall was only extended in height in 1988 when it was 129.88 percent full but later that year it overflowed for two weeks. In January 2011, the dam was 126 percent full, it overflowed for higher than 4m which is more than 4.5 million litres of water per second that went over the dam wall.
Is Gariep Dam overflowing?
South Africa’s largest dam, the Gariep Dam, is overflowing for a second time this year. Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) spokesperson Sputnik Ratau told News24 that the dam, on the banks of the Orange River, is at 111% full.
Which river flows into Gariep Dam?
From the Gariep (formerly Hendrik Verwoerd) Dam the Orange swings to the northwest to its confluence with the Vaal River. The Vaal, which rises in Eastern Transvaal province, flows west through the major population and industrial core of South Africa before turning south and joining the Orange…
Can you swim in the Gariep Dam?
Fans of aquatic adventure have lots to keep them amused on the dam: sailing, powerboating, canoeing, angling, swimming and waterskiing. You have the option to stay at the resort, or at one of a range of guesthouses and BnBs in Gariep Dam Village nearby.
Which dam is the biggest in South Africa?
The Gariep Dam
The Gariep Dam, in the Free State, is the dam with the largest storage capacity ever built in South Africa. Constructed in 1972, it stores water from the Orange River in a 100 km-long dam with a surface area of 374 km2. The dam can store about 5 500 million cubic metres (m3) of water.
How many sluice gates are in Gariep Dam?
6 radial gates
Gariep Dam has 6 radial gates, 8 river outlets and 4 sludge gates which are all in good working condition. Vanderkloof Dam has 4 radial gates and 4 river outlet valves. All radial gates and river outlets valves are functional and can be used for flood control in case the spill way can’t handle the outflow.
Where does Gariep Dam flow to?
Great Fish River
This massive piece of water covers more than 370 sq km when full, and can store nearly 6 000-million cubic litres, giving life and flow to the Great Fish River, the Sundays River and, the mother of all South African rivers, the Orange.
Where is Gariep river?
The Orange River is the longest in South Africa, starting in the Drakensberg in Lesotho, it flows westward towards the Atlantic ocean where it spills out on the border of South Africa and Namibia.
Does the Gariep dam generate electricity?
Water from the Gariep Dam is released downstream into the Vanderkloof Dam through four generators which are each capable of producing 90 MW of electricity at a flow rate of approximately 200 m3/s. The hydro-power plant can therefore provide up to 360 MW of electricity at a flow rate of 800 m3/s.
What is the length of the Gariep Dam?
The wall is 88 m high and has a crest length of 914 m and contains approximately 1.73 million m³ 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.
Where is the Gariep Dam located in South Africa?
Gariep Dam. Location of Gariep Dam in South Africa. Gariep Dam 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.
What about the Gariep Dam and Vanderkloof Dam?
The Gariep Dam is currently at 112.25% and Vanderkloof Dam at 110,75% but the Department has explained that the dams must be allowed to overflow freely over the spillway during floods.
What is there to do at Gariep Dam?
Once handling busy traffic during the construction of the dam, Gariep Dam Airfield has two long and wide tarmac runways, taxiway and apron. With a game reserve on one boundary and the lake only a few kilometres to the east, wild life is plentiful nearby.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVTAGUkv9eI