The massive expanse of water which is the Sterkfontein Dam lies just a few kilometres from the edge of the Drakensberg Escarpment in the very upper reaches of the Vaal Dam catchment on the Nuwejaarspruit. Deep and cool, it creates ideal conditions for trout and other varieties of fish, and is therefore a popular angling area. It is the third largest dam in South Africa and has the largest dam wall.
The Dam forms part of the Tugela Vaal water transfer scheme, which is a pumped-storage scheme involving the net transfer of up to 630 million m³ of water from KwaZulu-Natal to augment the supply in the Vaal River System. The Vaal Dam stores water for use by Rand Water and for use downstream. Rand Water supplies potable water to the major part of Gauteng and to portions of the surrounding provinces. Water is normally kept in storage at Sterkfontein Dam and released once the Vaal Dam drops to below 16%.
With its small catchment area and negligible natural inflow, the Sterkfontein Dam requires no spillway. Because of its favourable storage and climatic characteristics, it is beneficial to store water here and only release it to the shallow Vaal Dam via the Wilge River when it is needed. Evaporation losses from Sterkfontein Dam represent only about 10% of the losses that would be experienced from Vaal Dam.
The first phase of Sterkfontein Dam was completed in 1980 and the second phase in 1986. This raised the wall to its current height of 93m with a crest length of 3 060m. It has a storage capacity of 2,616 millionm³ and at full capacity the dam is 6,940 ha in size. It has a total discharge capacity of 220 m³/sec and is the only dam in South Africa which qualifies to be included in the ICOLD Register of the world's largest dams.
The dam is surrounded by a vast nature conservation area covering 18,000 ha and characterised by steep kranzes, grassed mountain slopes and lushly vegetated kloofs. It is a place of rare scenic beauty, an undisturbed, tranquil environment in which nature flourishes and many species of soft-skinned game and indigenous birds exist in harmony.
For the holidaymaker, the area offers an unrivalled outdoor vacation and the opportunity to get back to nature with long walks and hikes through the beautiful landscape, a variety of watersport and excellent fishing.
Hear ...
The silence of nature
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