The Vaal Dam stands at more than double its normal water level compared to the levels it recorded last year.
The Vaal Dam continues to maintain water levels well above its full capacity, standing at 106.81% on Wednesday, according to the latest measurements from The Reservoir, a Water Resource Information Centre for the Catchment Management Forums of the Upper Vaal Water Management Area.
This marks the continuation of a sustained period where the dam has remained between 106% and 107% for approximately three and a half months.
Calls for preemptive water release
Midvaal councillor Pieter Swart on Wednesday said he has approached the Department of Water and Sanitation regarding potential flood risks as the La Niña-influenced rainy season approaches.
“This morning, I reached out to the Director General of the Department of Water and Sanitation to ask for consideration of the pre-emptive release of water from the Vaal Dam (or at least their plans going forward),” Swart stated.
He emphasised community concerns about potential flooding.
“With the upcoming rainy season influenced by La Niña, many of our residents are concerned about potential flooding. While I trust that the department is on top of this, I wanted to relay your concerns directly to them and advocate for proactive measures to help protect our communities,” Swart said.
The councillor assured continued monitoring of the situation.
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Current Vaal Dam status
The integrated Vaal River system consistently shows high levels across multiple dams, according to The Reservoir‘s readings.
The dam has maintained levels exceeding 100% but below 120% since April’s heavy rainfall and subsequent flood threats.
On Wednesday, the standing level reached 106.81%, with an inflow of 54.3 cubic meters per second and an outflow of 16.8 cubic meters per second.
The Vaal Barrage maintained a level of 7.5 meters with an outflow of 5.1 cubic meters per second. Water temperature at the barrage was recorded at 14.3 degrees Celsius.
This was a decrease from Tuesday, when the dam stood at 107.04% with an inflow of 54.9 cubic meters per second and an outflow of 16.8 cubic meters per second.
The Vaal Barrage recorded the same 7.5-meter level but with a higher outflow of 10.1 cubic meters per second and a slightly lower water temperature of 13.9 degrees Celsius.
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Supporting infrastructure at capacity
According to The Reservoir, supporting dams in the system are operating at near-full capacity.
Woodstock Dam stands at 97.50%, with water being transferred via pumped transfer to Sterkfontein Dam.
Sterkfontein Dam itself is at 99.00%, allowing water to flow down the Nuwejaarspruit into the Wilge River, which in turn feeds into the Vaal Dam.
Meanwhile, Grootdraai Dam maintains a level of 98.60%, with water flowing down the Vaal River to the main dam.
The Lesotho component of the water system also shows high levels.
Mohale Dam in Lesotho stands at 99.50%, with water being transferred via a gravity-fed system to Katse Dam.
Katse Dam is at 90.60%, pumping water into the Liebenbergsvlei that flows into the Wilge River and subsequently into the Vaal Dam.
Downstream impact
Downstream facilities are similarly affected by high water levels. The Vaal Dam shows water flowing out into the Vaal River that flows to Bloemhof Dam.
Bloemhof Dam, which receives this water flow, stands at 106.6%.
“Water flows from Bloemhof Dam down the Vaal River into the Douglas Weir and from there into the Orange River,” the reservoir shared.
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Vaal Dam year-on-year improvement
The Department of Water and Sanitation’s latest weekly report shows remarkable improvement compared to the previous year.
The Vaal Dam stands at more than double its normal water level compared to the levels it recorded last year.
This week it stands at 107.0%, compared to 107.3% last week. During the same period last year, the dam stood at just 45.4%.
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