Vaal Dam levels

Wow so it peaked over 3200 cumecs...
Hectic!
 
Sinbad said:
Wow so it peaked over 3200 cumecs...
Hectic!
Click to expand...

:D

Crazy amount, right?

And whatever people say about infrastructure etc., I know I'd rather go into the winter with the Vaal at 90% than 25% - even if only to deter them from using it as leverage to implement 20% or some ridiculous increases due to "shortages".
 
Ho3n3r said:
:D

Crazy amount, right?

And whatever people say about infrastructure etc., I know I'd rather go into the winter with the Vaal at 90% than 25% - even if only to deter them from using it as leverage to implement 20% or some ridiculous increases due to "shortages".
Click to expand...

absolutely.
Hopefully though the new dispensations in Joburg and Pretoria will put some real pressure on Rand Water to up their game
 
Sinbad said:
If we were in the middle of a major drought, as everyone was saying, then nothing was coming in. Indeed, all that was coming in was the 30 cumecs from the LHWP.
During the periods of 30 cumec inflow we were going down at about 1% every 10 days.

Going by observation of effects here which is about as scientific as you can get in something like this, IMHO
Click to expand...

I wouldnt mind doing some more research on this and see what hard data is out there.

Ho3n3r said:
Latest prediction - seems more inflow than predicted this morning, probably due to more rain last night (not sure) - back up over 100% in a few days:
Click to expand...

Possibly Grootdraai opening up again.
 
Unhappy438 said:
I wouldnt mind doing some more research on this and see what hard data is out there.



Possibly Grootdraai opening up again.
Click to expand...

Remember water from grootdraai takes 2-3 days to reach the vaal dam...
 
Sinbad said:
Remember water from grootdraai takes 2-3 days to reach the vaal dam...
Click to expand...

Yup physically but when you add water to an area that is already filled with it the extra mass will cause a higher flow.
 
Unhappy438 said:
Yup physically but when you add water to an area that is already filled with it the extra mass will cause a higher flow.
Click to expand...

yeah no.
Doesn't work like that. It's not closed pipes.
The level downstream of the dam rises, and that rise travels down the river at a certain speed, depending on the gradient and a couple other factors. Takes a couple of days for that wave front to reach the vaal.
 
Sinbad said:
yeah no.
Doesn't work like that. It's not closed pipes.
The level downstream of the dam rises, and that rise travels down the river at a certain speed, depending on the gradient and a couple other factors. Takes a couple of days for that wave front to reach the vaal.
Click to expand...

Ok im no expert so i wont argue, it was initially opened on the 22nd of Feb. Maybe initial water then

https://twitter.com/ReenvalSA/status/834370406631034881
 
Sinbad said:
That's what I'm saying.

I fully expect them to come back saying that we're a water scarce nation and thus level 2 restrictions will be in place forever
Click to expand...

I agree, you will probably never see Level 1 Restrictions again and in my opinion water is a revenue thing for the Municipalities.

The price of water is increased annually like electricity and everything else, however the Municipalities brought in different tariff measures since about 2000 when they started charging according to your usage. The more you use the higher tariff bracket you go into. Coupled with the new measure since they started giving water away and the dam levels started sinking, the tariff now also goes up according to the level of restrictions too.
In Cape Town with Level 3 Restrictions, you are charged R200 per kilolitre for every kilolitre of water used over 45 or could be 50 kilolitres, it may have been changed slightly, used to be 45.

So when it comes to water your tariff is based on water usage, annual inflation hikes, the level of restrictions applicable for that season and don't forget the sewerage charge based on your water usage.
Sewerage for some weird reason also goes up when the level of water restriction goes up. The Municipality probably work it out that because people are sending their shower/bath and washing water into the garden due to Water Restrictions, less water is coming down the sewerage pipe earning them less money and they must now charge more for it. That is plain and simple robbery, what has sewerage got to do with how much potable water is in the dams.

This inordinate charges levied for Level 3 Restrictions can send your Utility bill through the roof which can make your Rates and Electricity charges look like a walk in the park.

Some people are suffering as a result. Not only has it affected anyone that makes a business using water, it has penalised big families and people with big properties or both.

In a weird way we need this crises to start making our own plans. People did it with Electricity when Government starting hiking the prices due to a huge media campaign that made the sheeple once again think of scarcity and accept the pricing. Well since 2008 we hear there was more to the loadshedding, stories of coal price fixing and other stories, it make your hair stand on end. Now Eskom has a surplus of Electricity they are trying to export over the borders to our neighbours. If it is Zimbabwe, I doubt we will get paid for it anyway.
Sort of makes you think that all is not what it seems. Scarcities coupled with huge media reporting, prices go up accordingly and we accept.

If it wasn't for Nersa where would the price of electricity be?

I think the next big thing in South Africa is we need a National Regulator like Nersa for water, it is too easy for Municipalities these days to ride the wagon of revenue collection.
Explaining it differently, water is a source of revenue that National Government cannot get its hands onto, so unfortunately for us as consumers our Municipalities have taken this "loophole" to gather in as much funds as possible.

Please accept that your Municipality wherever you are is a business like any other business.
In South Africa we have a sad situation that our Country is mostly run by Monopolistic or Cartel-like structures.

While there will be years where the surface level of water in the dam is low, its time your Municipality diversifies its potable water to other alternatives so that in times of drier years we can top up our dams accordingly.
The situation will be different according to area, but there are alternatives, notably along the coast with desalination and also the huge Table Mountain Group which has Trillions of litres of good quality water just sitting there.

You have to read between the lines. What area of the earths surface is covered by water?
If the water evaporates where does it go to? Is there some alien spaceship carting water away from earth to some other planet perhaps that there "appears" to be less of it? The water we drink today was the same water Dinosaurs drank millions of years ago. The earth is a water rich place, do not be fooled by what you hear or read in the media, there is always a reason to perpetuate a scarcity, follow the money.
 
Last edited:
Ho3n3r said:
Latest prediction - seems more inflow than predicted this morning, probably due to more rain last night (not sure) - back up over 100% in a few days:

FFDamGraph.aspx
Click to expand...

Where did you get this graph?
 
Anyone who lived in Vereeniging and Three Rivers in the old days knows what a horror situation existed every time the Vaal came down in flood. ( That is before the Vaal Dam was raised as a flood control measure). Every year there were floods.

So the dams are not only there for water storage. The dams are also an essential element in attempting to prevent rivers bursting their banks in times like these. The trick is to be able to model the inflows accurately enough to know when to open the gates and allow water to flow downstream in a reasonably controlled manner. Even so, The Vaal below Bloemhof is going to rise quite steeply in the next few days.

A trip to Augrabies in a few weeks time would be something to behold!
 
Last edited:
Geoff.D said:
Anyone who lived in Vereeniging and Three Rivers in the old days knows what a horror situation existed every time the Vaal came down in flood. ( That is before the Vaal Dam was raised as a flood control measure). Every year there were floods.

So the dams or not only there for water storage. The dams are also an essential element in attempting to prevent rivers bursting their banks in times like these. The trick is to be able to model the inflows accurately enough to know when to open the gates and allow water to flow downstream in a reasonably controlled manner. Even so, The Vaal below Bloemhof is going to rise quite steeply in the next few days.

A trip to Augrabies in a few weeks time would be something to behold!
Click to expand...

2 birds with one stone then - pretty clever.
 
Ho3n3r said:
2 birds with one stone then - pretty clever.
Click to expand...

I can remember as kid having to walk from school for a few miles to where our parents were able to meet us to pick us up when the rivers around Three Rivers burst their banks. Pretty scary business for a kid in Primary school!
 
Sun 26 Feb. Vaal Dam Level 22.3m. Full 97.28%. Inflow 956m3/s. Discharge 14.17m3/s. River Valves Open 1X100% 1X50%. Gates Open 0.
Click to expand...

Not yet 100 - but getting close...
 
Ho3n3r said:
2 birds with one stone then - pretty clever.
Click to expand...
hehe oh yes i remember. especially the great flood of '96 that was a doozie

or the subsequent years in riverfronts heyday, and it was THE place to be until the floods started... now that place looks like one of those nuclear apocalypse scenes thats been quaranteened by fema.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X