Kalkfontein Dam is a rockfill type dam located on the
Riet River
The Riet River is a westward-flowing tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. In precolonial times the Riet was known as the Gama-!ab (or Gmaap), a name meaning 'muddy'. Its main tributary is the Modder River and after the confluence ...
, near
Koffiefontein
Koffiefontein is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. The name means ''coffee fountain'' in Afrikaans.
History
In the 1800s, Koffiefontein was a stopover spot for transport riders traveling between the coast and the di ...
,
Free State,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. It was established in 1938 and renovated in 1977. The primary purpose of the dam is to serve for irrigation purposes and its hazard potential has been ranked high (3).
Kalkfontein Dam reservoir is often quite low (10-20% full) as the upstream area is hot and dry and too small to fill a dam of this size, however during flooding on the Orange River, water is transferred from the Orange River at Vanderkloof Dam to Kalkfontein Dam. In 2021 this led to the reservoir rising from 17.3% to 61.7% in a single week.
See also
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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 ...
References
List of South African Damsfrom the South African
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 1938
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