The Vet River ( af, Vetrivier) is a westward-flowing
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or 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 drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Vaal River
The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...
in central
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 ...
. Its sources are between
Marquard
Marquard is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa that serves Winburg in the northwest. The town was set up in 1905 by an influential Dutch Reform minister, JJ Marquard, with the help of Christoffel Cornelis Froneman ...
and
Clocolan
Clocolan, established in 1906, is a small town in the Free State (South African province), Free State Province of South Africa. The Basotho called the place Hlohlolwane (Hlohla-o-lwane, "get up and fight"). New inhabitants mispronounced the name a ...
and the Vet River flows roughly northwestwards to meet the Vaal at the
Bloemhof Dam
Bloemhof Dam is a dam in South Africa. It was originally known as the Oppermansdrif Dam when under construction during the late 1960s. It is located at the confluence of the Vaal River and the Vet River, on the border between the provinces North W ...
near
Hoopstad
The key town of Hoopstad is situated at the intersection of the R34, R59 & R700 in the Free State Province. This area is considered to be the richest maize-producing district in South Africa. The town is located near the Bloemhof Dam which is s ...
.
Erfenis Dam
The Erfenis Dam is an earth-fill type dam located in the Free State province of South Africa, on the Vet River, near Theunissen. It was established in 1960 and its primary purpose is for irrigation use. The hazard potential of the dam has been r ...
was built on this river in order to provide water for the town of
Theunissen
Theunissen is a small town that has the only wine estate, the Theunissen Wine Farm, in the Free State province of South Africa. It is located about 95 kilometers northeast of Bloemfontein and about 45 kilometers south of Welkom
Welkom () ...
.
Tributaries
left, Vet River (middle right) on a map of 1887
Its main tributary is the
Sand River which joins it from the east.
The actual Vet river is formed at the confluence of the Klein Vet and the Groot Vet upstream from the Erfenis Dam.
Middle Vaal WMA 9
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See also
* List of rivers in South Africa
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
* Middle Vaal Water Management Area Middle Vaal WMA. or Middle Vaal Water Management Area (coded: 9), Includes the following major rivers: the Vet River, Vals River and Vaal River, and covers the following Dams:
* Allemanskraal Dam Sand River
* Bloemhof Dam Vaal River
* Elands ...
References
External links
Free State Region River Systems
Karoo
Rivers of the Free State (province)
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