Wemmershoek Dam

Wemmershoek Dam
Wemmershoek Dam
Location	Rock-fill dam
Impounds	Wemmershoek River
Height	55 m (180 ft)
Length	518 m (1,699 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Wemmershoek Dam Reservoir
Total capacity	58,644 Ml (2,071.0×106 cu ft)
Catchment area	86 km2 (33 sq mi)
Surface area	296 ha (730 acres)

Wemmershoek Dam is a rock-fill type dam located on the Wemmershoek River near Franschhoek and Paarl in South Africa. It was constructed between 1953 and 1957 on behalf of the City of Cape Town. With a reservoir capacity of 58,644 megalitres (2,071.0×10^⁶ cu ft), it provides approximately 6.5% of the storage capacity of the Western Cape Water Supply System which supplies Cape Town and surrounding areas.

History

As early as 1882 the

private bill from the colonial parliament authorising the construction of a small dam at Wemmershoek.^[1]

In 1913 the four suburban councils were incorporated into the

Hottentots Holland mountains. A ratepayers' referendum decided on Steenbras which led to the construction of the Steenbras Dam starting in 1918.^[1]

After the Second World War, with the growth of Cape Town's urban population, the city again needed to find an additional water supply. The Wemmershoek scheme was revived, and a new private bill was passed by Parliament in 1951 for the construction of a larger dam. Construction began in 1953 and was completed in 1957.[1]

Characteristics

The dam wall is of

rock-fill type with a clay core.^[1] It is 518 metres (1,699 ft) long and 55 metres (180 ft) tall at its highest point. The dam impounds a reservoir of 58,644 megalitres (2,071.0×10⁶ cu ft) capacity which, when full, covers an area of 296 hectares (730 acres). Its catchment area in the Wemmershoek Mountains covers an area of 86 square kilometres (33 sq mi).^[2] An intake tower draws water into a pipeline which supplies a water treatment plant at the foot of the dam. Releases of water into the Wemmershoek River are by way of a gate-controlled spillway with a maximum flow of 1,065 cubic metres per second (37,600 cu ft/s).^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e van Vuuren, Lani (March 2010). "Wemmershoek – 75 years in the making" (PDF). The Water Wheel. 9 (2). Water Research Commission: 18–22. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ "List of Registered Dams". Dam Safety Office, Department of Water and Sanitation. November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2021.

[TWW-1] van Vuuren, Lani (March 2010). "Wemmershoek – 75 years in the making" (PDF). The Water Wheel. 9 (2). Water Research Commission: 18–22. Retrieved 13 August 2021.

[DSO-2] "List of Registered Dams". Dam Safety Office, Department of Water and Sanitation. November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2021.

[1]

[2]

v t e Western Cape Water Supply System
Major dams	Theewaterskloof Voëlvlei Berg River Wemmershoek Steenbras Lower Steenbras Upper
Minor dams	Kleinplaats Woodhead Hely-Hutchinson Land-en-Zeezicht De Villiers Lewis Gay Victoria Alexandra
Related	Department of Water and Sanitation City of Cape Town Cape Town water crisis

History

Characteristics

See also

References