The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), through its Construction Unit, has made
significant progress with the construction of an advanced gauging weir at Tweefontein in the
Free State.
The project will enhance the Department’s ability to monitor river flows and provide early warnings of potential flooding within the Vaal River system. The DWS Construction Unit, an internal labour-intensive unit responsible for building major water infrastructure such as dams, reservoirs and bulk water pipelines, is leading the
construction of the new gauging structure on the Vals River.
The site is located on the farm in Tweefontein, 12 kilometres upstream of Bothaville. Once completed, the Tweefontein gauging weir will continuously measure river flow in the lower reaches of the Vals River. The information collected will be combined with data from an existing monitoring station near Lindley in the upper reaches of the river.
Together, these monitoring points will provide a more comprehensive picture of water movement throughout
the Vals River system. The Vals River flows into the Vaal River close to the town of Bothaville.
This information will assist operators at Bloemhof Dam to better coordinate dam releases with natural river flow conditions in the Vaal River system. Improved flow management will help maximise the efficient use of stored water while reducing the potential risks associated with flood events.
This will contribute to the protection of downstream communities, infrastructure, agricultural activities and livestock.
Construction of the state- of-the-art Crump gauging weir is progressing well and is currently 73% complete. Practical completion is anticipated by the end of October 2026.
Upon completion, the gauging weir will transmit real-time river level information directly to the DWS office in Bloemfontein.
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