Impofu Dam is a combined rock-fill/earth-fill type dam located on the
Kromme River
Krom River or Kromme River ( af, Krommerivier) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The river flows into the Indian Ocean through an estuary on the north side of St Francis Bay, west of Port Elizabeth. The Krom river flows in ...
, near
Humansdorp
Humansdorp is a small town and surrounding district in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 29,000 during the census of 2011. It is part of the Kouga Local Municipality of the Sarah Baartman District.
The town is th ...
,
Eastern Cape,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. It was established in 1983 and its primary purpose is to serve for municipal and industrial use. The hazard potential of the dam construction has been ranked high (3).
Location
The dam, along with the Elandsjagt water purification plant, lies just downriver from
Kromme Dam. Both
N2 and
R102
The R.102 (originally referred to as Project H) was a British airship planned in 1930 but never built.
The development of R.102 resulted from the Imperial Airship Scheme, when it became apparent that the R100 and R101 airships then being buil ...
roads cross the western portion of the dam. The road to the dam wall itself is not well-suited to passenger traffic.
History
The dam was built from 1972 to 1982. In July 1983, the dam beat all expectations by filling within three days.
Dimensions
The reservoir is long, narrow, and deep, with several bays. The maximum capacity 107 million m³ and the water is 6 km
2, 25 km long, and 65 km in circumference. The wall is 75 m high and 800 m long.
Use
A primary source of drinking water for Port Elizabeth, the dam also prevents flood waters from engulfing farms and houses around the banks and mouth of the river. The reservoir is popular with anglers as well given the 5 fish species found there. A
slipway
A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...
is available for boaters.
See also
*
List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
The following is a partial list of dams in South Africa. __NOTOC__
In South African English (as well as Afrikaans), a dam refers to both the wall as well as the reservoir or lake that builds up as a consequence.
List of dams (reservoirs)
...
*
List of rivers of South Africa
This is a list of rivers in South Africa.
It is quite common to find the Afrikaans word ''-rivier'' as part of the name. Another common suffix is "''-kamma''", from the Khoisan term for "river"
Meiring, Barbara"South African Toponymic Guideline ...
Bibliography
* Logie, Bartle (1999). ''Governor's travels. A journey along the Kouga/Tsitsikamma coast''. Hunters Retreat: Bluecliff.
*
krommerivier.wordpress.com
www.bassfishing.co.za
References
from the
Department of Water Affairs
The Department of Water and Sanitation is one of the departments of the South African government. It is responsible for the state of water and sanitation in South Africa.
In May 2009, following the election of Jacob Zuma, the Department of W ...
Dams in South Africa
Dams completed in 1982
1982 establishments in South Africa
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