The Wilge River ( af, Wilgerivier, meaning "willow river") is a
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 drai ...
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 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 ...
. This river is important as part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Transfer Scheme where water is transferred from the
Tugela River basin to 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. ...
basin.
The
largemouth yellowfish
The largemouth yellowfish or Vaal-Orange largemouth yellowfish (''Labeobarbus kimberleyensis'') is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. This large freshwater barb is found in southern Africa.Impson & Swarz (2007)
It has long been ...
is present in the waters of the Wilge River, reaching quite a large size.
Course
Its sources are about 50 km northeast of
Harrismith
Harrismith is a large town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was named for Sir Harry Smith, a 19th-century British governor and high commissioner of the Cape Colony. It is situated by the Wilge River, alongside the N3 highway, ab ...
, at the border with
KwaZulu-Natal.
In its upper course the river flows roughly southwestwards from its source, then westwards while bending northwards towards Harrismith, skirting the southern end of the
Platberg where there is the confluence with the
Nuwejaarspruit from the left.
Further north the
Elands River joins its left bank. Then the
Meul River and the
Cornelis River join its right bank. It continues flowing in a NNW direction, being joined by the
Liebenbergsvlei River
The Liebenbergsvlei River is a tributary of the Wilge River, flowing in the Free State province of South Africa.
Lesotho Highlands Water Project
The Liebenbergsvlei is a conduit for water delivered by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Th ...
from the left, while passing near
Frankfort and flowing northwestwards until it finally meets the Vaal at the
Vaal Dam
The Vaal Dam in South Africa was constructed in 1938 and lies 77 km south of OR Tambo International Airport. The lake behind the dam wall has a surface area of about and is 47 meters deep. The Vaal Dam lies on the Vaal River, which is one ...
further downstream.
Upper Vaal WMA 8
/ref>
Dams in its basin
*Sterkfontein Dam
The Sterkfontein Dam, located just outside the town of Harrismith, in the Free State, province of South Africa, is part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Project and the Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme, and located on the Nuwejaarspruit, a tributary of ...
and the Driekloof Dam
Driekloof Dam is a small section of the Sterkfontein Dam, Free State, South Africa. A section of the Sterkfontein Dam reservoir is isolated after the construction of Driekloof Dam, this small reservoir has a capacity of ., together with the Kilbur ...
, in the Nuwejaarspruit - The Sterkfontein is the third largest dam in South Africa. Practically all the water it contains is pumped up the escarpment from KwaZulu-Natal. Built before the Lesotho Highlands Water Project
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is an ongoing water supply project with a hydropower component, developed in partnership between the governments of Lesotho and South Africa. It comprises a system of several large dams and tunnels thr ...
was developed, this was a vital source of water for Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
.
* Fika-Patso Dam, in the Namahadi River (Elands)
Gallery
file:11 of 'History of the Boers in South Africa ... with three maps' (11191958004), crop2.jpg, The Wilge River and its tributaries on a map of 1887
file:The Second Boer War, 1899-1902 Q72297.jpg, A horse train fording the river during the Second Boer War
See also
* Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme
The Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme is an energy storage facility built in the South African provinces of Free State and KwaZulu-Natal starting in 1974 and completed by 1981.
Four dams are involved in the scheme; the Driekloof Dam (''joined ...
* 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 ...
References
External links
{{commons category, Wilge River
Free State Region River SystemsThe Tugela-Vaal state water scheme as a bilharzia risk
Vaal River
Rivers of the Free State (province)