Vaal Barrage

Vaal Barrage
Official nameVaal Barrage
CountrySouth Africa
LocationBorder Gauteng & Free State
Coordinates26°45′53″S 27°41′03″E / 26.7647°S 27.6841°E / -26.7647; 27.6841
Opening date1923
Owner(s)Rand Water
Dam and spillways
Type of damBarrage
ImpoundsVaal River
Height10 metres (33 ft)
Length329 metres (1,079 ft)
Reservoir
CreatesVaal Barrage Reservoir
Total capacity56,712,000 cubic metres (2.0028×109 cu ft)
Catchment area1,349 hectares (3,330 acres)

The Vaal River Barrage Reservoir is a dam on the Vaal River near Vanderbijlpark, border Gauteng and Free State, South Africa.

The Barrage, created by a set of gates across the Vaal River, was built by Rand Water downstream of the Vaal Dam, in 1923. The reservoir is 64 kilometres long and has a total storage capacity of 63 million litres, a surface area of 16,835 square kilometres and has an average depth of 4,5 metres. The rivers – i.e., Suikerbosrand, Klip, & Rietspruit – that feed into the Vaal River Barrage Reservoir flow from industrial and heavily populated areas such as Johannesburg, Vereeniging and Sasolburg. This reservoir was used to supply water to the Witwatersrand but no longer does so because the quality of its water is deteriorating due to pollution. This reservoir, which is managed by Rand Water, is used for many recreational activities, such as boating, skiing, fishing, and swimming, with many holiday resorts found along its banks.[1]

  1. ^ "Water Origination: The Vaal River System". Rand Water. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2013.