Garden Route Dam overflows

Update

GEORGE NEWS - These pics of the Garden Route Dam in the east of George overflowing, were taken by local MC Lamprecht this morning, Tuesday, 30 May.

The capacity of the dam - originally completed in 1984 - was expanded in 2019/2020 by 25% to 12,5 million cubic meters.

In spite of the full dam, Georgians are still subjected to water restrictions, as load-shedding impacts the filling of reservoirs and meteorologists say a number of dry, El Nino years are on the cards.

George is also growing at a fast pace and the demand for water increases every month.

According to George Municipality Communications Manager, Chantel Edwards, this is only the second time that the dam overflows since the expansion was completed early in 2020. It also overflowed in November 2021.

The ingenious duckbill-shaped spillway design improved the dam’s safety in a practical and cost-effective way that earned the designers, Zutari (formerly Aurecon), a win in the Technical Excellence category at the South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Awards in November 2020.