Raising of dam wall well underway

Update Video

GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - It was all action and noise on Tuesday at the Garden Route Dam where the raising of the spillway and dam wall is fully underway.

An informal ceremonial launch was held with George Mayor Melvin Naik doing the honours of turning the sod.

Excavation for the building of the new horseshoe-shaped overflow and groundwork for raising the wall was in progress.

Contractors, consultants and municipal officials were there to share in the moment.

Naik said water is a resource without which the city cannot move forward. "Without it we will not be able to do anything. We do not know what climate change holds for us and we are now making provision for that."

The cost of the project is R20,6-million and the contractors aim to complete it by middle December, weather conditions permitting.

Dam specialist from Aurecon Alan Shelly explained that the new weir, in the shape of a horseshoe, will be 2,5m above the original spillway, which is being demolished to make space for the water to get through. A reinforced concrete slab will form the basement of the new spillway to avoid water rushing over and eroding the soil and bedrock. "It is going to be quite spectacular. There are not many of these in the world. The only other one in the country that I know of that is similar, is the Injaka dam up north," said Shelly.

The wall is also being raised by about 1,8 metres, which will give enough freeboard so that water does not wash over the wall in times of flooding. The current volume of the dam is 10 million m³ and it will increase to 12,5 million m³.