Vaal Dam levels

Sinbad said:
That level is not particularly low, and it is deliberately kept there.
Click to expand...

Heard a guy phone into 702 yesterday saying they deliberately keep it low because the Vaal isn't particularly deep and the evaporation is very high because of the surface area. Instead they keep the water upstream in deeper dams with a lower exposed surface area. Seemed to make sense.
 
Isn't vaal just an overflow dam meant to keep the 'excess' from the others?(others still being relatively full(80%+) considering its been winter and all)
 
0f972a6eed9d2087a1f4d4cfceca7403.jpg


ab85984f785fd2a295a99a24a03261ca.jpg


There's a lot of dead fish here, water level is the lowest I've ever seen, and I've also just heard the sewer pipeline from the townships into the dam in going ahead, and has been approved as a "Grey water" outlet
 
I've sailed on the Vaal at 14%. The dead fish are not from the low level, but most likely pollution. That sewage thing is absolute madness.
 
HavocXphere said:
How do you figure that?


Thats not what the dept of water affairs says. 34 vs 65.
Click to expand...

The Vaal is shallow. Evaporation is a function of surface area, its surface area is very high for its volume. So when it goes low, it's kept that way to minimize evaporation. There is still a LOT of water in sterkfontein dam.
 
The Lesotho Highlands, how much are they pumping? Or is this switched off now to force a problem to happen
 
Doesn't phase me too much. I walk about 20 meters with a bucket and draw all my bath and drinking water directly from the Jukskei River.
 
Segg said:
There's a lot of dead fish here, water level is the lowest I've ever seen, and I've also just heard the sewer pipeline from the townships into the dam in going ahead, and has been approved as a "Grey water" outlet
Click to expand...
Source?
 
For what it's worth, down at the mouth of the mighty Orange River, the water she is still flowing..... Not as high as it should be...but still flowing.....
 
The dam wall - if you look closely, the water levels are below the gates, even if they wanted to open them, nothing would flow out. The only source feeding the river seems to be the usual outlet

805183b4ecb1e38c5c4a9bf5e5f3231a.jpg


There was what appeared to be sewerage running into the dam just before the dam wall, the water smelt, and was a different color along the shore line, there were no pipelines visible, and the "water" was running down from some bushes up the hill, over some rocks before entering the dam

d2fa14d2a77a0addffc386014e835894.jpg


The Harbour in Deneysville

120cc9f617482dc3322b8a228f90ad32.jpg


Edit - a closer look at the dam wall

e24c23d8d1f229903a6d38eb60597289.jpg
 
Last edited:
Fish are probably dying due to the sewerage concentration getting to high/oxygen starvation
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X