Berg River Dam

Berg River Dam
An aerial view of the Berg River Dam
Berg River Dam is located in South Africa
Berg River Dam
Location of Berg River Dam in South Africa
Official nameBerg River Dam
CountrySouth Africa
LocationWestern Cape
Coordinates33°54′09″S 19°03′25″E / 33.90240°S 19.057000°E / -33.90240; 19.057000
PurposeDrinking water, storage
Opening date2009
Owner(s)Department of Water and Sanitation
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment dam
ImpoundsBerg River
Height68 metres (220 ft)
Length929 metres (1,016 yd)
Reservoir
CreatesBerg River Dam Reservoir
Total capacity130,000 megalitres (130 hm3)
Surface area4.88 square kilometres (1.88 sq mi)

The Berg River Dam is a 68-metre (223 ft) high dam on the Berg River in South Africa. It is the centerpiece of the Berg Water Project (BWP) which is designed to capture the winter rainfall and store it for supply to Cape Town during the dry summer months. The project in turn forms an important part of the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS), an intricate system of dams and bulk water infrastructure that provides water to more than 3 million people. At the inauguration of the dam in 2009, then President of South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe called the project "a good example of how public infrastructure projects can be used to contribute meaningfully to poverty eradication and to foster social empowerment of the people."[1] The Berg River Dam was the first dam in South Africa to be designed and constructed in accordance with the guidelines of the World Commission on Dams.[2] It has been completed on time and within budget.[3] The Berg River basin and the adjacent metropolitan area of Cape Town are of particular importance to the Western Cape region because, although the basin generates only about 3% of the country's water resources, it is home to about 8% of South Africa's population, and produces about 12% of GDP.[4]

The Berg River Dam (Autshumato Dam) was completed in 2007 at cost of R1,5 billion. It was designed and built in accordance with the United Nations World Commission on Dams, to provide water for Cape Town.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Motlanthe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ SouthAfrica.info:Cape's Berg River Dam on line Archived 27 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, 9 March 2009, retrieved 11 December 2009
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Berg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kasrils was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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