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286:(such as Buitengracht, Kaizergracht and Heerengracht - now major streets). When these canals had to be covered due to public health concerns, the elders of the city agreed on the need to build a dam up on the Table Mountain slope above the growing city, to store water from the mountain's springs. This water would otherwise have flowed directly into the sea - a shameful waste in the eyes of the city's administrators. By the late 1860s, Cape Town was also facing severe water restrictions, partly due to its expanding population.
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mountain and landed in the middle of the dam, entangling and drowning the balloonist. A structural disaster occurred in the 1880s. The reservoir was overfilled and accidentally breached, causing a wave of water to rush down into the city. The deluge destroyed houses, uprooted trees and swept away belongings. Following its repair however, the dam has served
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Several unusual incidents have punctuated the dam's long history. With the invention of the hot air balloon, renowned balloonist
Isidore Michaels made an ascent in Cape Town, from the nearby public gardens, in spite of the prevailing winds. To the horror of spectators, his balloon swept towards the
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The dam was intended to hold over 50,000,000 gallons of water, in sandy porous clay which presented an engineering challenge from the outset. The solution, only implemented years later, involved a mixture of excavation and masonry-supported embankments.
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The dam, and the nearby
Molteno Spring (one of over 20 springs located in the Cape Town city bowl), form part of the natural waterway that was originally known as "Camissa" (meaning "Sweet Waters" in Khoi). This became part of a network of streams and
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that historically stretched across early Cape Town. A citizen activated, non-profit community programme is currently underway to restore the city's historic water systems, of which the dam formed a small but crucial part.
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The reservoir provided sufficient storage capacity for the young city for decades to come, until massive urbanisation in the 20th century meant drawing on the much larger
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376:. Molteno Dam is visible in the centre right of the picture. Due to the city's expansion up the mountain slope, the dam is now completely surrounded by suburbs.
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The dam's actual construction was part of a huge expansion of infrastructure that was begun by the government of the country's first Prime
Minister
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While the greater city has far out-grown it, the dam is still used as part of the city's modern water system, supplying the
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293:(after whom it was later named), who appointed the Cape's first water engineer Mr John Gamble, as well as the mayor
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533:"Cape Town's Reclaim Camissa Project puts social media tools to good use | Andrew BoraineAndrew Boraine"
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A 19th
Century sketch of the dam's construction - a formidable engineering challenge for the early Cape.
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Ice Cold in Africa: The
History of Imperial Cold Storage & Supply Company Limited
446:. Western Cape Provincial Archives, Cape Town: 3/CT, 4/1/4/298, F134/4, October 1914.
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246:. Still in service, it was established in 1877 and is now located in the suburb of
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297:. Soon after the dam was opened, the first power-plant in South Africa, the
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provided Cape Town with street lights, while London still used gas lamps
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An aerial photograph of the
Molteno Dam in Oranjezicht, Cape Town.
301:(named after the Mayor), was constructed next to the reservoir.
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in the background. The white building behind the dam is the
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A photo of
Molteno Dam soon after construction, with
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507:"History of the Organisation Page - Reclaim Camissa"
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is a small but historic dam, on the lower slopes of
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612:Cape Town's water infrastructure listed and marked
598:facebook.com: Molteno Hydroelectric power station
482:"Arama Motoru | Haberler | COM.com.tr"
608:RECLAIM CAMISSA's citizen activated Google Map
352:among other areas. Together with the adjacent
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424:List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
270:In earlier days, the infant settlement of
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653:19th-century architecture in South Africa
648:1881 establishments in the British Empire
460:. Cape Town: Fernwood Press. p. 27.
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404:The Molteno Dam from Belvedere Avenue,
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27:Historic dam in Cape Town, South Africa
633:Buildings and structures in Cape Town
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392:, with Molteno Dam in the foreground
444:Report on Cape Town's Water Supply
325:faithfully and still supplies the
274:had been supplied with water from
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559:"City's Green Heart Saves Water"
456:Brooke Simons, Phillida (2000).
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315:Western Cape Water Supply System
227:, Cape Town's first power plant.
593:facebook.com: Molteno Reservoir
388:Oranjezicht From the summit of
299:Graaff Electric Lighting Works
225:Graaff Electric Lighting Works
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147:City of Cape Town Waterworks
258:Background and construction
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638:Reservoirs in South Africa
123:Domestic and Municipal use
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368:A view of the Cape Town
128:Construction began
643:Dams completed in 1881
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158:Type of dam
628:Dams in South Africa
278:by way of canals or
198:Total capacity
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32:Dam in Western Cape
539:on 16 January 2012
513:on 25 January 2014
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104:33.9385°S 18.412°E
565:on 12 August 2014
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206:Surface area
185:Width (base)
152:Dam and spillways
136:Opening date
18:Molteno Reservoir
16:(Redirected from
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561:. Archived from
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569:27 September
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354:De Waal Park
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333:Modern usage
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295:David Graaff
291:John Molteno
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244:South Africa
240:Western Cape
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77:Western Cape
67:South Africa
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419:Oranjezicht
406:Oranjezicht
370:city centre
327:city centre
248:Oranjezicht
232:Molteno Dam
201:3 000 000 m
107: /
83:Coordinates
622:Categories
486:com.com.tr
430:References
374:Lions Head
221:Lions Head
95:18°24′43″E
92:33°56′19″S
543:22 August
517:22 August
323:Cape Town
272:Cape Town
252:Cape Town
193:Reservoir
413:See also
144:Owner(s)
73:Location
491:2 March
341:grachts
329:today.
309:History
282:grachts
209:2.85 ha
120:Purpose
63:Country
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177:Length
169:Height
372:from
188:100 m
180:285 m
571:2012
545:2013
519:2013
493:2023
462:ISBN
172:21 m
139:1881
131:1877
238:in
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