Mokolo Dam (previously known as the Hans Strijdom Dam) is a rock-fill type dam located on the
Mokolo River
The Mokolo River is a major watercourse in Limpopo Province of South Africa. This river collects much of the drainage of the Waterberg Massif and discharges it to the Limpopo River. The river's catchment area comprises .
Course
The Mokolo River a ...
, near
Lephalale
Lephalale, formerly known as Ellisras, is a coal mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa immediately east of the Waterberg Coalfield. The town was established as Ellisras in 1960 and named after Patrick Ellis and Piet Erasmus who sett ...
,
Limpopo
Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. It was established in 1980. The Malmanies River and the Bulspruit River, two tributaries of the Mokolo, also enter the dam from its left side. The dam supplies water to
Lephalale
Lephalale, formerly known as Ellisras, is a coal mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa immediately east of the Waterberg Coalfield. The town was established as Ellisras in 1960 and named after Patrick Ellis and Piet Erasmus who sett ...
town. The dam mainly serves for municipal and industrial purposes and its hazard potentials has been ranked high (3).
The dam supplies the
Lephalale
Lephalale, formerly known as Ellisras, is a coal mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa immediately east of the Waterberg Coalfield. The town was established as Ellisras in 1960 and named after Patrick Ellis and Piet Erasmus who sett ...
area,
Grootgeluk coal mine,
Matimba power station
Matimba Power Station close to Ellisras, Limpopo Province, South Africa, is a dry-cooled coal-fired power plant operated by Eskom.
Power generation
The station consists of six 665 MW units with a total installed capacity of 3,990 MW. T ...
and part of the water requirements of
Medupi power station
Medupi Power Station is a dry-cooled coal-fired power station built by Eskom near Lephalale in Limpopo province, South Africa. The station consists of 6 generating units with a nameplate capacity of 764 MW each bringing the total installed capacit ...
.
The
Mokolo Dam Nature Reserve
The Mokolo Dam Nature Reserve or Mokolo Dam Provincial Park is a protected area of bushveld in the Limpopo province, South Africa. It almost surrounds the Mokolo Dam on the Mokolo River. It is located 32 km south of Lephalale, just northeas ...
is located by the eastern and southern sides of the dam. The shoreline of the dam is heavily infested with ''
Phragmites
''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial plant, perennial reed (plant), reed Poaceae, grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.
Taxonomy
The World Checklist of Selected Plant Famili ...
'' reeds.
State of Rivers Report: the Mokolo River
/ref>
See also
*List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
The following is a partial list of dams in South Africa. __NOTOC__
In South African English (under influence of Afrikaans), a dam refers to both the wall as well as the reservoir or lake that builds up as a consequence.
List of dams (reservo ...
*List of rivers of South Africa
This is a list of rivers in South Africa.
It is quite common to find the Afrikaans word ''-rivier'' as part of the name. Another common suffix is "''-kamma''", from the Khoisan term for "river"
Meiring, Barbara"South African Toponymic Guidelin ...
References
External links
Mokolo Dam Nature Reserve, LimpopoAfrican Dams
Dams in South Africa
Dams completed in 1980
{{SouthAfrica-dam-stub