Molteno Dam

The Molteno Dam
A photo of Molteno Dam soon after construction, with Lions Head in the background. The white building behind the dam is the Graaff Electric Lighting Works, Cape Town's first power plant.
Official name	The Molteno Dam
Location	Western Cape, South Africa
Coordinates	33°56′19″S 18°24′43″E / 33.9385°S 18.412°E / -33.9385; 18.412Coordinates: 33°56′19″S 18°24′43″E / 33.9385°S 18.412°E / -33.9385; 18.412
Construction began	1877
Opening date	1881
Dam and spillways
Height	15 m
Length	350 m
Base width	100 m
Reservoir
Capacity	200,000

Molteno Dam is a small but historic dam on the lower slopes of Table Mountain in Western Cape, South Africa. Still in service, it was established in 1877 and is now located in the suburb of Oranjezicht, Cape Town.

In earlier days, the infant settlement of Cape Town had been supplied with water from Table Mountain by way of canals or "grachts" (such as Buitengracht, Kaizergracht and Heerengracht - now major streets). When these canals had to be covered due to public health concerns, the elders of the city agreed on the need to build a dam up on the Table Mountain slope above the growing city, to store water from the mountain's springs. This water would otherwise have flowed directly into the sea - a shameful waste in the eyes of the city's administrators. Its actual construction was part of a huge expansion of infrastructure, instituted by the government of Premier John Molteno (after whom it is named) and the mayor David Graaff (after whom the Graaff Electric Lighting Works is named).^[1]

The reservoir provided sufficient storage capacity for the young city for decades to come, until massive urbanisation in the 20th century meant drawing on the much larger Western Cape Water Supply System. The Graaff Electric Light Works, the first powerplant in South Africa, is also located next to the reservoir.

The existing dam is in fact the second to be constructed in this spot. In 1882, the original reservoir had been accidentally breached, causing a wave of water to rush down into the city. The deluge destroyed houses, uprooted trees and swept away belongings. Following its reconstruction however, it has served Cape Town faithfully and still supplies the city centre today.^[2]

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  A 19th Century drawing of the construction of the dam.

• 

  A view of the Cape Town city centre from Lions Head. Molteno Dam is visible in the centre right of the picture. Due to the city's expansion up the mountain slope, the dam is now completely surrounded by suburbs.

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  Oranjezicht From the summit of Table Mountain, with Molteno Dam in the foreground

• 

  The Molteno Dam from Belvedere Avenue, Oranjezicht

See also

• Oranjezicht
• List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa

References

1. ^ Brooke Simons, Phillida (2000). Ice Cold in Africa: The History of Imperial Cold Storage & Supply Company Limited. Cape Town: Fernwood Press. p. 27. ISBN 1 874950 50 4. 
2. ^ [1]

External links

• The Environmental History of Water - The Molteno Dam