The Klein Berg River (or Little Berg River; in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

''Klein-Bergrivier'') is a major right-hand

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Berg River The Berg River (also called Great Berg River or in Afrikaans: Bergrivier) is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is approximately 294 km (183 mi) long with a catchment area of and ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The Klein Berg drains the

Tulbagh Tulbagh (), previously named Roodezand, then Land van Waveren later in 1804 named after Cape of Good Hope Governor Ryk Tulbagh, is a town located in the "Land van Waveren" mountain basin (also known as the Tulbagh basin), in the Cape Winelands ...

basin through the Nuwekloof into the

Swartland The Swartland is a region of Western Cape Province that begins some north of Cape Town and consists of the area between the towns of Malmesbury, South Africa, Malmesbury in the south, Darling, Western Cape, Darling in the west, Piketberg in the ...

, where it joins the Berg. The Tulbagh basin (also known as the ''Land van Waveren'') is bounded on the west by the Obiqua and

Waterval Waterval is a residential township in front of Elim Hospital, it is situated in the Hlanganani district of the former Tsonga homeland of Gazankulu, alongside the R578 road to Giyani in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Waterval includes , ...

mountains, on the north by the

Groot Winterhoek The Groot Winterhoek mountains are located in the Western Cape province of South Africa and are part of the Cape Fold Belt comprising a watershed area of 552,606 hectares. They rise to a maximum height of 2077 m just north of the town of Tul ...

range, and on the east by the Witzenberg. To the south it is divided from the

Breede River Valley Breede River Valley is a region of Western Cape Province, South Africa known for being the largest fruit and wine producing valley in the Western Cape, as well as South Africa's leading race-horse breeding area. It is part of the Boland borderin ...

by a shallow

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

that passes through the town of Wolseley. The Klein Berg rises on the slopes of the Groot Winterhoek and drains the northern part of the basin, while its major tributary the Boontjies River rises from the Witzenberg and drains the southern part of the basin. These two streams converge at the eastern opening of the Nuwekloof, a narrow gorge through the Obiqua mountains. In the Nuwekloof the river is obstructed by a

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

which diverts water to Voëlvlei Dam. Exiting the kloof, the Klein Berg passes by the town of Gouda before entering the Berg River near

Saron SARON stands for Swiss Average Rate Overnight and is a measurement of the overnight interest rate of the secured funding market denominated in Swiss Franc (CHF). It is based on transactions and quotes posted in the Swiss repo market, and is ad ...

. The weir in the Nuwekloof Pass diverts up to of water per day, which in summer can amount to the entire flow of the river. The health of the river is also affected by urban wastewater discharge from Tulbagh and by agricultural runoff. The Nuwekloof

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a pract ...

created by the Klein Berg River is the only low-lying route through the mountains to the east of Cape Town, and has long been used for transport. A wagon road was built through the kloof as early as the 1750s; today it forms part of the

R46 R46 or R-46 may refer to: Roads * R46 expressway (Czech Republic), now the D46 motorway * R46 (South Africa) Other uses

* R-46 (missile), a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile * R46 (New York City Subway car) * Escadrille R46, a unit ...

regional route. The main railway line from Cape Town to the interior was constructed through the kloof in 1875.

References

{{Reflist Rivers of the Western Cape

See also

References