New dam will ensure full river for canoe marathon
2008-06-26
THE recently completed Berg River Dam outside Franschhoek could boost the water level for the Isuzu Berg River canoe marathon next month considerably. “The completion of the Berg River dam has completely changed the race as we know it,” enthused Donnie Malherbe, a seasoned Isuzu Berg competitor, who has been closely involved with the liaison with the Department of Water Affairs and the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority responsible for the construction of the dam. The race will benefit from the controlled water release designed to simulate normal ecological river flows, and will provide the paddlers with a full river for the 240km journey from Paarl to Velddrif. While the rainfall over the period of the race cannot be controlled, Malherbe said that the water releases from the new dam planned for the week of the race would probably be between 20 and 25 cubic metres per second. “If you consider that last year’s race was held on between six and seven cumecs, then the race will have four times more water,” Malherbe added. “That is going to take us back to the great days of this race in the eighties when the race was always held on a very full river with water from Theewaterskloof Dam.” “This will change everything,” Malherbe explained. “Most of the tree blocks will be covered, and the river will flow strongly in most places. The racing times will be a lot faster, and the paddlers will have eddies and swirlies to deal with.”
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