General Information
Project Type
| Structure: |
Arch dam |
|---|---|
| Function / usage: |
Hydroelectric dam / plant Irrigation & industrial water dam Fresh water dam |
| Material: |
Concrete dam |
Location
| Location: |
Eastern Cape, South Africa Free State, South Africa |
|---|---|
| See also: |
Orange Fish Tunnel (1975)
|
| Coordinates: | 30° 37' 24.36" S 25° 30' 24.11" E |
Technical Information
Dimensions
| height | 88 m | |
| crest length | 980 m |
Excerpt from Wikipedia
Gariep Dam located in South Africa, near the town of Norvalspont, bordering the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces. Its primary purpose is for irrigation, domestic and industrial use as well as for power generation.
Name
The Gariep Dam was originally named the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam after the first prime minister of the Republic of South Africa Hendrik Verwoerd on its commission in 1971. However, after the end of the apartheid, the Verwoerd name was considered unsuitable. The name was officially changed to Gariep Dam on 4 October 1996. Gariep is Khoekhoe for "river", the original name of the Orange River.
Location
The dam is on the Orange River about 48 kilometres (30 mi) north-east of Colesberg and 208 kilometres (129 mi) south of Bloemfontein. It is in a gorge at the entrance to the Ruigte Valley some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Norvalspont.
Dimensions
The wall is 88 m high and has a crest length of 914 m and contains approximately 1.73 million m³ of concrete. The Gariep Dam is the largest storage reservoir in South Africa. In South African English, 'dam' refers both to the structure and the water volume it retains. Gariep Dam has a total storage capacity of approximately 5,340,000 megalitres (5,340 hm³) and a surface area of more than 370 square kilometres (140 sq mi) when full. The hydro-electrical power station houses four 90 MW generators, giving a maximum output of 360 MW of electricity at a water flow rate of 800 m³/s.
Design type and contractors
The structure is a concrete gravity-arch hybrid dam. This design was chosen as the gorge is too wide for a complete arch so flanking walls form gravity abutments to the central arch.
It was built by Dumez, a French construction company.
Orange-Fish River Project
At Oviston, on the south bank of the reservoir, is the inlet of the Orange-Fish River Tunnel, allowing water to be diverted to the Great Fish River and most of the Eastern Cape's western parts.
Text imported from Wikipedia article "Gariep Dam" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.
Participants
Relevant Web Sites
Relevant Publications
- (1973): Le barrage Hendrick Verwoerd (Afrique du Sud). In: Travaux, n. 458 (May 1973), pp. 90.
- La plus grande voûte de barrage (980 m). l'élancement (rapport longueur de voûte / hauteur maximale) le plus éleve (12). Le barrage de Hendrik Verwoerd (Afrique du Sud, 1971). In: Travaux, n. 672 (January 1992), pp. 60.
- (1974): Structural Model Studies for the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam. In: Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, v. 57, n. 3 (September 1974), pp. 467-492.
- About this
data sheet - Structure-ID
20003767 - Published on:
22/06/2002 - Last updated on:
20/04/2017
