Bloemhof Dam
| Bloemhof Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location of Bloemhof Dam in South Africa | |
| Official name | Bloemhof Dam |
| Country | South Africa |
| Location | border Northwest and Free State |
| Coordinates | 27°40′15″S 25°37′40″E / 27.67083°S 25.62778°ECoordinates: 27°40′15″S 25°37′40″E / 27.67083°S 25.62778°E |
| Opening date | 1970 |
| Owner(s) | Department of Water Affairs |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete gravity with earth flanks |
| Impounds | Vaal River |
| Height | 33 m |
| Length | 4270 m |
| Spillway type | Crest Gate (controlled) |
| Spillway capacity | 14 300 m3/s (max) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Bloemhof Dam Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 1 269 000 000 m3 |
| Surface area | 2226 ha |
Bloemhof Dam is a dam in South Africa. It was originally known as the Oppermansdrif Dam when under construction during the late 1960s. It is located at the confluence of the Vaal River and the Vet River, on the border between the prvinces North West and Free State. The dam wall is very long with a total length of 4 270 m. The reservoir is very shallow, and therefore needs a large area to mean anything for water storage. The area around the reservoir (dam), has been a protected area, but because it lies on the border between provinces, these became two separate nature reserves. On the North West Province side lies the Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserve, on the Free State side is the Sandveld Nature Reserve.
The town named Bloemhof lies on the North West side of the Vaal River.
The dam was commissioned in 1970, has a capacity of 1,269,000,000 cubic metres (4.48×1010 cu ft),[1] and an area of 223 square kilometres (86 sq mi),[1] the wall is 33 metres (108 ft) high. It is fed with the outflow from the Vaal dam (located upstream near Heidelberg) as well as rain collected in the Vaal-, Vet-, Vals- and Sandriver catchment areas.
See also
References
- 1 2 "BLOEMHOF DAM". Department of Water Affairs. Retrieved 19 December 2009.