Low level of Vaal Dam 'no cause for panic'

A dam once bustling with boats ferrying tourists across the Vaal Dam for sightseeing now lies dry, its grounds parched and with cracks.

The Vaal Dam currently stands at 28.62% capacity, far too low for boats to cruise.

Dry summer, the heatwave, exacerbated by maintenance work on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project which began on October 1, have all led to the dam running dry, said Kathy Manten, owner of Manten Marina in Deneysville, Free State. 

Manten Marina is a marine company that operates several boats from the Vaal Dam.

She said the challenges began last summer.

“It’s been a very dry and hot year and the storms that do come in don’t exactly help because they may cause damage to the boats if they were to go out. But with the heat, the drought and the closure of the water plant, it’s like the perfect storm,” said Manten.

But a water analyst and the department of water and sanitation on Monday said there was no need to panic.

"We have enough water. Once the level sits at 18% which is the minimum operational percentage, we would then open the Sterkfontein Dam to supply water to Vaal. The Sterkfontein Dam has enough water. There is no call for alarm," department spokesperson Wisane Mabasa said. 

"The reason there is a low level of water at Vaal is because we have closed the Lesotho stream due to the work that is been done in the area. We have not had rain and the Vaal Dam loses most of its water due to evaporation," she said. 

Manten said they got most of their water source to supply the catch stream from the Lesotho project.

"But once they cut that off, the water dropped drastically. And so now we are heavily reliant on rainfall, which is also rare.

"We also rely on maintenance and repair that we do on the boats of our clients. I spent R250,000 on bringing in the boats from the docking area because I had to buy equipment which I didn't have for that."

The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is undergoing essential maintenance on its tunnel system, with work expected to be concluded on March 31 2025.

A resident who asked not to be named said households were not affected by the dam’s low levels.

Expert Prof Mike Muller said there was no need to be  concerned about the water level at the dam.

"The Vaal Dam is just one of the 14 dams in the system, so we don't worry about the levels at the Vaal Dam but rather about how much water there is in the whole system.

"The Vaal Dam loses a lot of water because it is very shallow and when it gets hot, it evaporates, and the levels fall. If the water level is at 20%, that's good because that means we will not lose so much water to evaporation," he said. 

Muller said if the dry weather continues, then a problem might arise.

Another expert, Ferial Adams from WaterCan, said: "Looking at one dam is not good, we need to look at the whole system and currently it is sitting at 69.70% at the moment."

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