Gariep Dam
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| Gariep Dam | |
 Gariep Dam |
|
| Official name | Gariep Dam |
|---|---|
| Impounds | Orange River |
| Locale | South Africa |
| Length | 914m |
| Height | 88m |
| Opening date | 1971 |
| Geographical Data | |
| Coordinates | |
The Gariep Dam was originally called the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam after the first Prime Minister of the Republic of South Africa Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd on its commission in 1971. However after the end of apartheid the name was considered unsuitable, and the name was officially changed to Gariep Dam on 4 October 1996. Gariep is San for "Great water", and is the original name of the Orange River.
The dam is located on the Orange River between the Eastern Cape to the south and the Free State to the north and about 30 km north east of Colesberg. It is situated in a gorge at the entrance to the Ruigte Valley some 5 km east of Norvalspont. The dam itself is a concrete gravity-arch hybrid dam. This design was chosen as the gorge is too wide for a complete arch so flanking walls form gravity abutments to the central arch. It is 88 m high and has a crest length of 914 m and contains approximately 1.73 million m³ of concrete.
The Gariep Dam is the largest storage reservoir in South Africa (in South African English 'dam' refers both to the structure and the lake it impounds) with a total storage of approximately 5,500 million m³ and a surface area of more than 370 km² when full. It has four 90 MW generators, giving a maximum output of 360 MW of electricity at a water flow rate of 800 m³/s.
The dam was built by Dumez, the French construction company[1].
Oviston, on the south bank of the reservoir, is the inlet of the Orange-Fish River Tunnel, allowing water to be diverted to the Great Fish River and the Eastern Cape.
