Voëlvlei Dam is a dam located in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

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 ...

near the town of Gouda. The earth-fill wall is long and high. The reservoir covers an area of and has a capacity of , making it the second-largest reservoir in the

Western Cape Water Supply System The Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) is a complex water supply system in the Western Cape region of South Africa, comprising an inter-linked system of six main dams, pipelines, tunnels and distribution networks, and a number of minor dams ...

. Water from the reservoir is supplied to water treatment works of the

City of Cape Town The City of Cape Town ( af, Stad Kaapstad; xh, IsiXeko saseKapa) is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and exurbs. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 3,740,026. The remo ...

and the

West Coast District Municipality The West Coast District Municipality is a district municipality located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its municipality code is DC1. Moorreesburg is the seat of the district. As of 2011 it had a total population of 391,766. Geograp ...

, and can also be released into 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 7,715& ...

for agricultural purposes or to fill the Misverstand Dam. The Voëlvlei Dam was constructed in 1952 to expand the capacity of the Voëlvlei lake which formed in a natural depression. Because the lake had a limited

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

a canal was also constructed to supply water to the reservoir from 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 river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

in the Nuwekloof Pass on the

Klein Berg River The Klein Berg River (or Little Berg River; in Afrikaans ''Klein-Bergrivier'') is a major right-hand tributary of the Berg River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The Klein Berg drains the Tulbagh basin through the Nuwekloof into the ...

. To meet increased demand for water from Cape Town the dam wall was raised in 1969, and in 1971 a second canal was constructed to supply water from the

Leeu River Leeu River, (English: Lion River), The Leeu Taaiboschspruit Catchment is situated in the Greater Sasolburg area in the Free State, South Africa. See also * List of rivers of South Africa * List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa The ...

and Vier-en-Twintig River, which drain 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 Tulb ...

Since 1734 the farm on which Voëlvlei Dam is situated belonged to the Walters family, who were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

descent. In 1948 the government expropriated the land and the farm for the Berg River Irrigation Scheme. The state paid compensation to the Walters family in the amount of £44,000 and the Vogelvlei Quarries (Pty) Ltd which bought the remainder of Voëlvlei in 1946 for £48,000. The Walters family did not agree to the expropriation and maintained a long-standing dispute with the then Nationalist government. After South Africa became a democratic country in 1994 the son of the former owner of Voëlvlei instituted a land claim under the Land Restitution Act.

References

Dams in South Africa Dams completed in 1971 {{SouthAfrica-dam-stub