Steenbras Lower Dam celebrates 100 years!
Built in the Hottentots-Holland Mountain range near Gordon’s Bay, the asset as established by the City of Cape Town to meet the growing water demand in the early 1900s. Since 1921, it has remained a main supply source to the Strand, Somerset West, Newlands, Molteno and Wynberg reservoirs, which serve certain areas from Gordon’s Bay in the east, to Wynberg in the south-west and as far north as the central business district.
The Lower and Upper Steenbras dams contribute 7,5% of the total storage capacity of the six major storage dams in the Western Cape Water Supply System that supplies Cape Town. Although other dams may hold more water, the Steenbras dams are important because of their height, which allows for cost-effective gravity flows to the areas which need the water, and the flexibility of the supply network which serves the whole city.
The milestone was celebrated last Friday (25 March) with the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the centenary of the Steenbras Lower Dam by City’s Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Councillor Zahid Badroodien, and City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo as it continues to serve the residents of Cape Town with clean, drinking water.
“Marking the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Steenbras Dam is a reminder to us not to shy away from big, ambitious infrastructure projects that will serve generations of Capetonians to come,” said Hill-Lewis. “This celebration is a reminder of the importance maintaining infrastructure to the highest standards. In next week’s budget, we will allocate an additional R50 million a year to repairs and maintenance. My sincere gratitude to the officials and staff who have ensured this key piece of infrastructure continues to serve us.”
Badroodien added that the dam will continue to play a contributing role in the Water and Sanitation Directorate’s journey to building future water supply as outlined in the City’s Water Strategy, which sets the course towards a future in which Cape Town has sufficient, reliable water from diverse sources so that we can be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
“This strategy was developed as a result of the worst drought the City has experienced on record. Groundwater from the Table Mountain Group aquifer is now being injected into the Streenbras Upper Dam, as we cannot rely so heavily on our rain-fed dams in the face of a future of uncertain rainfall and climate change. Operations and asset management strategies are being implemented to preserve the Steenbras Dam’s infrastructure for future years,” said Badroodien.
