Development plans for the Garden Route Dam Capacity Increase project will begin later this month. This is after the George Municipality issued a call for tenders late last week. The advertised tender for the newly designed project will close on 9th next month. The project’s re-visitation is in favor of a more viable solution.
In 2009 George Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa applied for Environmental Authorization to raise the Garden Route Dam spillway to 3m in height. They would also install a Fuse Gate System (FGS) at the point of overflow.
Finally, the activity got a go-ahead in March three years later in 2012. On the other hand, the alternative issued at the time could not come into incorporation. This is because the Water Affairs permit was issued in December 2014.
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The newly designed plan
According to the George Municipality, the construction of a side-channel will serve to extend the flood overflow length. This is while minimizing any future damages risks caused by higher order floods. The risks are inclusive of those with 1:200 year return periods.
This design requires a 2.5m and 1.8m raising of the dam wall overflow and the crest respectively. According to the department the height will help provide sufficient freeboard. It will also prevent overtopping of the embankment by wave action. The projected increase to the dam capacity is 25% while the yield increase to the George water supply system would be in the region of 11%.
