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upper reaches of a valley on the
Nuwejaarspruit. The catchment area of the dam is less than three times the water surface area of 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 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.
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was subsequently raised in 1980 to its current height of 93 metres (305 ft) with 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 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).
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The dam 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
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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
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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 the preferred option from an engineering aspect because it
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447:. 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.
374: 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
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which 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
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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 the perspective of the current government in that time.
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which is inside the
Sterkfontein Dam, is regarded as a separated dam and reservoir, and is not included in the above figures. It is essentially a dam within a dam. Driekloof Dam is the upper storage reservoir of the
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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
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The dam was named after one of the farms located in the vicinity of its construction. The temporary township for the construction workers was built on the
Sterkfontein farm. The word
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The rapid economic expansion of 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
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Artist's impression of the 1st phase of the
Sterkfontein Dam. The final wall was raised to the level of the valve control room at the top of the concrete tower.
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A view of the dam wall of
Sterkfontein Dam during construction. In the foreground is resident Engineer David Bell.
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A campsite with chalets at the water's edge. Note the dry conditions (conducive to bush fires) in the wintertime.
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This is the 3rd largest dam in South Africa in terms of water capacity and it is slightly larger than Vaal Dam.
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The first of three information boards posted at a vehicle rest area overlooking the reservoir just off the R74
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Earth moving equipment dumping fill from the borrow pits for the wall of Sterkfontein Dam. August 1972.
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David Bell the Resident Engineer of Sterkfontein Dam explaining the works to a journalist, circa 1974
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The wall is an earth gravity type. The dam wall contains 19.8 million cubic metres (700
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The site workshops for Sterkfontein Dam. The area below the site office is now underwater.
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The weir separating the Driekloof Dam reservoir from the Sterkfontein Dam reservoir.
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The dam receives its water via the Tugela-Vaal Water Project later renamed the
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The Department of Water Affairs site office. Sterkfontein Dam, 1972.
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The weir separating the Sterkfontein Dam from the Driekloof Dam
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The earth wall on the eastern side of the Sterkfontein Dam
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A view of the dam basin prior to being covered by water
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Free State Tourism - Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve
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622:The construction village at Sterkfontein Dam, 1973
190:19,800,000 m (25,900,000 cu yd)
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64:Location of Sterkfontein Dam in South Africa
670:List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
703:. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
219:2,616,000 ML (2,121,000 acre⋅ft)
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35:Sterkfontein Dam Reservoir seen from the
772:Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
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237:69.37 km (26.78 sq mi)
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291:in the upper catchment area of the
263:, located just outside the town of
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451:Third largest dam in South Africa
445:Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme
411:Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme
281:Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme
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465:Sterkfontein Dam 2,616,900 MegaL
405:Map of the Pumped Storage Scheme
229:195 km (75 sq mi)
198:0 m/s (0 cu ft/s)
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479:Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve
462:Vanderkloof Dam 3,171,300 MegaL
384: cu ft) of material.
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538:The second information board
253:1,708 m (5,604 ft)
182:3,060 metres (3,350 yd)
550:The third information board
397:Pumped Hydro Storage Scheme
245:18.8 km (11.7 mi)
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459:Gariep Dam 5,340,600 MegaL
211:Sterkfontein Dam Reservoir
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277:Tugela-Vaal Water Project
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468:Vaal Dam 2,603,400 MegaL
174:97 metres (320 ft)
128:Construction began
797:Dams completed in 1977
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195:Spillway capacity
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287:, a tributary of the
283:, and located on the
250:Normal elevation
150:Type of dam
139:1980 (renovated 1986)
787:Dams in South Africa
485:located by the dam.
360:Earth fill dam wall
242:Maximum length
225:Catchment area
216:Total capacity
112:28.4484°S 29.0228°E
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701:"STERKFONTEIN DAM"
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426:A dam within a dam
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234:Surface area
144:Dam and spillways
136:Opening date
117:-28.4484; 29.0228
18:Dam in Free State
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705:. Retrieved
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341:sterkfontein
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326:Construction
310:Tugela River
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273:South Africa
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420:Wilge River
388:No spillway
289:Wilge River
115: /
91:Coordinates
792:Vaal River
781:Categories
763:Rand Water
707:2008-10-22
676:References
299:Background
293:Vaal River
269:Free State
265:Harrismith
103:29°01′22″E
100:28°26′54″S
85:Free State
349:Afrikaans
315:Bantustan
267:, in the
203:Reservoir
664:See also
418:via the
416:Vaal Dam
279:and the
161:Impounds
81:Location
304:History
208:Creates
343:means
335:Naming
319:Qwaqwa
179:Length
171:Height
481:is a
477:The
438:The
259:The
131:1969
761:at
347:in
317:of
37:R74
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684:^
378:10
368:10
351:.
710:.
382:^
376:×
372:^
366:×
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