, native_name_lang = , name_other = , name_etymology = , image = Krokodilrivier, a, Phalandingwe.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Crocodile River at

Pelindaba Pelindaba ("Pelile Ndaba", Zulu for "end of story" or "the conclusion") is South Africa's main nuclear research centre, run by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation. It is situated near the Hartbeespoort Dam, approximately 33 km (22 ...

, North West , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = South Africa , pushpin_map_size = , pushpin_map_caption= Location of the Crocodile River's mouth , subdivision_type1 = Country , subdivision_name1 =

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_name2 = , subdivision_type3 =

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

, subdivision_name3 =

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

, North West and

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature ...

, subdivision_type4 = , subdivision_name4 = , subdivision_type5 = , subdivision_name5 = , length = , width_min = , width_avg = , width_max = , depth_min = , depth_avg = , depth_max = , discharge1_location= , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , discharge1_max = , source1 =

Constantia Kloof Constantia Kloof is a suburb of Roodepoort in Gauteng, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stre ...

, source1_location = Near Witpoortjie,

Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...

, Gauteng Province , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , mouth = Limpopo River , mouth_location =

Limpopo Province Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature ...

, South Africa/

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

border , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = , basin_size = , tributaries_left = , tributaries_right = , custom_label = , custom_data = , extra = The Crocodile River ( tn, Oodi, af, Krokodilrivier) is a river in

. At its confluence with the Marico River, the Limpopo River is formed.

Course

The Crocodile River has its source in the

mountain range, originating in

, Roodepoort,

province. The first dam on the river is the Lake Heritage Dam just west of Lanseria International Airport. Just north of this airport is its confluence with the Jukskei River. Further downstream into the North West province are the Hartbeespoort Dam and the

Roodekoppies Dam Roodekoppies Dam is a concrete gravity type dam located on the Crocodile River near Brits, North West, South Africa. It was established in 1986 and serves mainly for irrigation purposes and domestic and industrial use. The hazard potential of ...

. Beyond the Hartbeespoort Dam, the stream passes the town of Brits. The Elands River joins downstream from the

Vaalkop Dam The Vaalkop Dam is a combined gravity and earth-fill type dam located in North West Province, South Africa. Its reservoir is located at the confluence of the Elands River and the Hex River, part of the Crocodile basin. The dam was established or ...

, about 20 km further the

Pienaars River The Pienaars River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Crocodile River. A short section of this river is known as the Moretele River (i.e. approximately 20 km section between Haakdoornbult and the Klipvoor Dam). Tributarie ...

joins its right bank, shortly after exiting the

Klipvoor Dam Klipvoor Dam is a concrete gravity type dam located on the Moretele River, 55 km north of Brits, North West, South Africa. It was established in 1970. The main purpose of the dam is to serve for irrigation and its hazard potential has been ...

. In

province, about 35 km further, the river passes the town of

Thabazimbi Thabazimbi is an iron mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town is at the feet of the Ysterberg and is surrounded by the Witfonteinrand and Boshofberg with the majestic Kransberg in the background. The name Thabazimbi mean ...

and meanders for many miles through a sparsely inhabited area before joining the Marico River just west of Rooibokkraal at the limit of North West province to form the start of the Limpopo River.

Tributaries

The

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drain ...

of the Crocodile River include the Bloubankspruit,

Hennops River The Hennops River is one of the larger rivers that drains Gauteng, South Africa. It has its source near Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg and meets the Crocodile River (Limpopo) shortly before Hartbeespoort Dam. It is one of Gauteng's most pol ...

, Jukskei River, Magalies River, Sterkstroom River, Rosespruit, Skeerpoort River, Kareespruit, Elands River, Bierspruit River and Sundays River.Crocodile/Marico WMA 3
/ref>

Pollution

Hartbeespoort Dam, North West (South Africa)

The Crocodile River is one of the most polluted river systems in

. The effects of pollution from two of South Africa's metropolitan areas,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

and Tshwane, has been detrimental to the ecology of the system. Untreated industrial,

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

, agricultural and household waste has deteriorated the water quality throughout most of its course and led to massive algal blooms in the Hartbeespoort Dam and Roodekoppies Dam. Invasive plant species have negatively affected the integrity of the system. Unsustainable farming practices have led to

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand ...

overloads and erosion further harming the river.

Dams

The Crocodile River is part of the Crocodile (West) and Marico Water Management Area. Dams in the river basin are: * Hartbeespoort Dam *

* Rietvlei Dam, in the Rietvlei River *

Bon Accord Dam Bon Accord Dam is an earth-fill type dam located on the Apies River, some 15 km north of Pretoria. The dam comprises an earth embankment with a side spillway. The catchment area of the dam is 315 km2 and comprises primarily the City o ...

and Leeukraal Dam, in the

Apies River __NOTOC__ The Apies River is a river that flows through the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Its source is located just south of the city (south of Erasmus Park) and it flows northward until it drains into the Pienaars River. The word "Apies" is ...

and

Roodeplaat Dam Roodeplaat Dam is a concrete arch dam situated in South Africa on the Pienaars River (also known along parts of its length as the Moretele River and Moreleta Spruit), a tributary of the Crocodile River, which flows northwards into the Limpopo R ...

, in the Pienaars/ Moretele River *

, in the Elands River * Bospoort Dam, in the Hex River (Matshukubjana)

References

External links

Overview of the Crocodile (West)/Marico Water Management Area
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419184646/http://www.dwaf.gov.za/iwqs/rhp/state_of_rivers/crocwestmarico_05/crocwestmarico_05_a4.pdf , date=2018-04-19
Natural and anthropogenic influences on water quality: an example from rivers draining the Johannesburg Granite DomeA river runs through Limpopo ProvinceThe influence of land use on water quality and diatom community structures in urban and agriculturally stressed rivers
Rivers of Gauteng Rivers of North West (South African province) Rivers of Limpopo Tributaries of the Limpopo River