Official name Vaal Barrage Opening date 1923 Impounds Vaal River Height 10 m Catchment area 13.49 km² Impound Vaal River | Country South Africa Type of dam Barrage Creates Vaal Barrage Reservoir Length 329 m Owner Rand Water | |
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Location Border Gauteng & Free State Similar Vaal River, Vaal Dam, Grootdraai Dam, Bloemhof Dam, Sterkfontein Dam | ||
The Vaal River Barrage Reservoir is a dam on the Vaal River near Vanderbijlpark, border Gauteng and Free State, South Africa.
Map of Vaal Barrage, South Africa
The Barrage, created by a set of gates across the Vaal River, was built by Rand Water downstream of the Vaal Dam, in 1923. The reservoir is 64 kilometres long and has a total storage capacity of 63 million litres, a surface area of 168,35 square kilometres and has an average depth of 4,5 metres. The rivers, i.e. Suikerbosrant, Klip, & Rietspruit, that feed into the Vaal River Barrage Reservoir flow from industrial and heavily populated areas such as Johannesburg, Vereeniging and Sasolburg. This reservoir was used to supply water to the Witwatersrand but no longer does so because the quality of its water is deteriorating due to pollution. This reservoir, which is managed by Rand Water, is used for many recreational activities, such as boating, skiing, fishing, swimming and many holiday resorts have grown up on its banks.