Steenbras Dam
| Steenbras Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
  | |
| Official name | Steenbras Dam |
| Country | South Africa |
| Location | Western Cape |
| Coordinates | 34°9′9.07″S 18°53′56.64″E / 34.1525194°S 18.8990667°ECoordinates: 34°9′9.07″S 18°53′56.64″E / 34.1525194°S 18.8990667°E |
| Purpose | Irrigation and domestic |
| Opening date | 1921 (renovated 1989) |
| Owner(s) | City of Cape Town |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Earth fill dam |
| Impounds | Sir Lowry's Pass River |
| Height | 31 m |
| Length | 1700 m |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Steenbras Dam Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 3 560 000 m3 |
| Catchment area | 3.2 km2 |
| Surface area | 35 ha |
The Steenbras Dam (“STEE-un bruss”) is an earth-fill type dam located in the Hottentots-Holland mountains, above Gordons Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa. For much of the first half of the twentieth century it was the main reservoir for Cape Town but is now only one of many dams that supply the city. The hazard potential of Steenbras has been ranked high (3).
There is a hydroelectric plant at the dam. The Steenbras pumped-storage scheme was opened in 1979 to supplement Cape Town’s electricity supply during periods of peak demand.
The dam is on the Steenbras River, which, in common with most rivers in the western Cape, has a low sediment load and delivers water of very high quality. The river and dam are named after the steenbras, a fish endemic to South Africa.
See also
- Pumped-storage hydroelectricity
- Eskom - South African electricity utility
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