Midmar Dam

Midmar Dam is a combined gravity & earth-fill type dam and recreation area located near Howick and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Boating, swimming, waterskiing, picnicking, and fishing are popular pastimes at Midmar Dam. Each year, the Midmar Mile swimming race is held there, which organizers call "the world's largest open water swimming event". Over 20,000 entries were received for the 2009 event. Midmar Dam is located in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. The dam's primary purpose is to serve for municipal and industrial use and its hazard potential has been ranked high (3).

Midmar Dam
Midmar Dam
Location of Midmar Dam in South Africa
Official nameMidmar Dam
CountrySouth Africa
LocationHowick, KwaZulu-Natal
Coordinates29°30′S 30°11′E
PurposeMunicipal and industrial use
Opening date1965
Owner(s)Department of Water Affairs
Dam and spillways
Type of damCombination gravity and earth fill dam
ImpoundsUmgeni River[1]
Height30 metres (98 ft)
Length1,423 metres (4,669 ft)
Reservoir
CreatesMidmar Dam Reservoir
Total capacity235,000 megalitres (235 hm3)[2]
Surface area1,788 hectares (4,420 acres)

Morgenzon has camping and caravanning sites, both powered and non-powered. The dam also hosts a yacht club,[3] and lock up storage facilities for boats.

Midmar Dam is easily accessible from the N3 motorway.

See also

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.