Darlington Dam
Encyclopedia
Darlington Dam, also referred to as Lake Mentz. is a dam situated in the Sundays River
, near Kirkwood
, in Eastern Cape
, South Africa
. It was established in 1922. The dam has a capacity of 187691000 cubic metres (6,628,245,016.1 cu ft), with a 48 metres (157.5 ft)-high wall.
Droughts created a critical situation in the Darlington Dam (formerly Lake Mentz) region which, despite being a fertile area, requires an assured water supply. The serious drought of 1966 and 1967 emphasized the necessity to commence work on the Skoenmakers Canal (capacity: 22 m3/s) to link the Great Fish River
to Darlington Dam as soon as possible. In view of an expected increase in irrigation below Darlington Dam and the demand for water in the Port Elizabeth metropolitan area, it was decided to replace the Wellington Grove pumping station with De Mistkraal Weir upstream of Wellington Grove and a short section of connecting canal to the beginning of the Skoenmakers Canal.
Sundays River
The Sundays River is a river in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and is said to be the fastest flowing river in South Africa. The Khoisan people originally named this river Nukakamma because the river's banks are always green and grassy despite the arid terrain that it runs...
, near Kirkwood
Kirkwood
Kirkwood may refer to:United States:*Kirkwood, California, in Alpine County**Kirkwood Mountain Resort*Kirkwood, Glenn County, California*Kirkwood, Delaware*Kirkwood , Georgia*Kirkwood, Illinois*Kirkwood, Missouri*Kirkwood, New Jersey...
, in Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was established in 1922. The dam has a capacity of 187691000 cubic metres (6,628,245,016.1 cu ft), with a 48 metres (157.5 ft)-high wall.
Droughts created a critical situation in the Darlington Dam (formerly Lake Mentz) region which, despite being a fertile area, requires an assured water supply. The serious drought of 1966 and 1967 emphasized the necessity to commence work on the Skoenmakers Canal (capacity: 22 m3/s) to link the Great Fish River
Great Fish River
The Great Fish River is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape, it originates east of Graaff-Reinet and runs through Cradock, just south of this the Tarka River joins it...
to Darlington Dam as soon as possible. In view of an expected increase in irrigation below Darlington Dam and the demand for water in the Port Elizabeth metropolitan area, it was decided to replace the Wellington Grove pumping station with De Mistkraal Weir upstream of Wellington Grove and a short section of connecting canal to the beginning of the Skoenmakers Canal.