Beervlei Dam

Beervlei Dam
Beervlei dam from N9-National road
Official name	Beervlei Dam
Location	South Africa
Coordinates	33°4′30″S 23°29′1″E
Opening date	1957
Operator(s)	Department of Water Affairs
Dam and spillways
Impounds	Groot River
Height	31 m
Length	348 m
Reservoir
Creates	Beervlei Dam Reservoir
Total capacity	85 800 000 m3
Surface area	231 ha

Beervlei Dam is a dam across the Groot River, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Established in 1957, it has the capacity of 85,800,000 cubic metres (3.03×10⁹ cu ft), and a surface area of 23.145 square kilometres (8.936 sq mi), and the dam wall is 31 m high. The main purpose of the dam is to provide flood absorption. The Karoo sediments in the area contain a lot of salts and it has been found that lengthy storage of water results in high water salinity. Any flood water is used as quickly as possible by the downstream irrigators and the reservoir is kept empty for extended periods.

See also

• List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
• List of rivers in South Africa

References

• List of South African Dams from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (South Africa)