Last sluice gate at Vaal Dam closed

The Department of Water and Sanitation has closed the last of the five sluice gates that were opened at the Vaal Dam following the desired reduction in water inflows into the dam.

Vaal Dam. Image by Michael Gundelfinger, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The three gates were opened on 11 February and the other two on 12 February 2021 to raise the outflows out of the dam following rapid increases in its levels to above 100%.

Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said the closure of the last gate on Thursday, 4 March, follows a decision by the Vaal Orange River System (VORS) Extreme Flood Management Committee, which has been monitoring the dam on a daily basis.

“The assessment by the VORS this morning determined that sufficient water outflow from the Vaal Dam is taking place to allow the closure of the fifth and last gate. The other four gates were closed over the last two weeks, guided by the dam’s levels, as well as the amounts of inflows and outflows,” said Ratau in a statement on Thursday.

He said the department is pleased that the release of the water has taken place safely with no incidents of flooding or damage to property being reported.

The sluice gates were previously opened in 2017, 2015 and 2012.