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Darlington Dam – SA’S Troubled Lake

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Darlington Dam – SA’S Troubled Lake 24 Water History DARLINGTON DAM – SA’s Troubled Lake Neither drought, depression, disease nor the dearth of the barren Noorsveld could prevent the construction of Darlington Dam, near Kirkwood, in the Eastern Cape. Lani van Vuuren explores the chequered history of this dam, at one time the second-largest in South Africa. he initiative to establish large- as the Sundays River was in flood. So he which would be entitled to assistance scale irrigation in the Sundays climbed a hill (known today as the ‘Look- from the government. The majority of TRiver Valley can be traced back to out’) from where he had a view of the farmers, however, viewed the legislation the arrival of prominent Port Elizabeth entire valley. The view he saw inspired with suspicion, and in the end Kirkwood auctioneer James Somers Kirkwood. him, and shortly thereafter he bought bought up sufficient land on his own so Described as, ‘a tall man of pleasing Gouwernements Belooning himself and as to float a company and so establish personality, flowing beard and smiling settled in the area. an irrigation scheme himself. eyes’, Kirkwood came to the valley in 1877 to oversee the auction of the farm In 1877 legislation was passed on irri- In 1883 he owned 21 farms in all, total- ‘Gouwernements Belooning’. gation which aimed to encourage, by ling more than 35 000 morgen (29 984,5 means of financial assistance, settle- ha) of land. He introduced irrigation PIONEER’S DREAM ment on farms and the development on a small scale on his farms through of private irrigation schemes. Kirkwood the years. In December 1883 Kirkwood The story goes that on that particular tried to convince his neighbours to founded the Sundays River Land and day Kirkwood could not reach the farm combine to form an irrigation scheme, Irrigation Company. Despite all the The Water Wheel Jul/Aug 2009 Water History 25 and Trust Company of Port Elizabeth, Kirkwood’s vision eventually attracted and in 1903 it was sold to the others to the idea of using the water of Strathsomers Estate Company. The the Sundays River to irrigate large tracts company employed engineer David of land. By 1913, there were three irriga- Gerrard to bring more land, on both tion companies in the area: the Strath- sides of the Sundays River, under irriga- somers Estate, Addo Land and Irrigation tion, and in 1909 Gerrard, along with Company, and Cleveland Estate, who all Ninham Shand (who became the com- had weirs on the Sundays River. pany engineer in charge of this work) inspected the site of the Korhaan’s Drift THE ARRIVAL OF SIR PERCY scheme. FITZPATRICK The scheme entailed the construction of Famed author and businessman Sir a diversion weir across the Sundays River Percy Fitzpatrick visited the Sundays at Korhaans Drift where the river leaves River Valley to view the irrigation the Zuurberg Mountains and enters the schemes in 1913. Soon thereafter he Sundays River Valley. The scheme was purchased a block of farms surround- delayed for some years by litigation as ing Addo. Fitzpatrick was always keenly other irrigators contested the company’s interested in land settlement. In Febru- water rights. In the end, the court ruled ary 1914 negotiations were opened in favour of Strathsomers Estate and with the Cleveland Estate, which was construction of the Korhaans Drift weir experiencing financial difficulties. This got underway in 1911. resulted in the birth of the Cape Sun- days River Settlements Company, of At its completion in November 1913, which Fitzpatrick was chairman. Korhaans Drift was the largest irriga- tion scheme in South Africa, designed Fitzpatrick committed himself to citrus to irrigate 4 875 morgen (4 176,4 ha) as a core crop. Port Elizabeth provided of land. The weir was 286 feet (87,2 m) a major market and port nearby, and wide, with two abutments 30 feet exports to Europe had already begun, (9,1 m) high from the crest of the taking advantage of South Africa’s DWEA/eWISA weir. Water for irrigation was released reverse season. Citrus production, how- through seven sluice gates built at ever, required a sustainable water supply. A historic photograph of Darlington right angles to the river, and emptied Dam, taken in 1936. into the main canal, 32 inches The droughts of 1913-1915, coupled (812,8 mm) wide. with the collapse of the ostrich feather publicity given to the enterprise when the lists closed in January 1884, not a single share was taken up. DARLINGTON DAM: FAST FACTS Kirkwood could not have picked a worse Completion date: 1922 time to start his venture. At that time River: Sundays South Africa was in the grips of a depres- Nearest town: Kirkwood (Eastern Cape) sion, and those who had money preferred Type: Gravity to invest in ostrich farming or the newly Height above lowest foundation: 48 m established diamond mines at Kimberley Length of crest: 418 m where returns were not only quick but Volume content of dam: 0,209 million m3 certain and adequate. Kirkwood died a Gross capacity of reservoir (in 1975): 252 million m3 broke and bitter man in 1889. Purpose: Irrigation 3 STRATHSOMERS ESTATE Maximum discharge capacity of spillway: 632 m /s (controlled) Source: DWEA In 1887 Kirkwood’s insolvent estate was taken over by the Guardian Assurance The Water Wheel Jul/Aug 2009 26 Water History The dam wall has two spillways with control gates – the main spillway and an auxiliary spill- way. Near the left abutment is the river outlet system with a number of release valves. Addo Elephant National Park National Elephant Addo industry (which forced farmers to look with a view of establishing a large stor- Hartbeespoort, which was also being at other income possibilities) made age dam at the head of the valley which constructed at the time. it perfectly clear that any permanent would ensure adequate and perennial extension of irrigation, coupled with supplies of irrigation. Minister of Lands, CONSTRUCTION OF LAKE settlement operations on a large scale, Col Hendrik Mentz, and Director of MENTZ would be impossible unless large stor- Irrigation, Francis E Kanthack, supported age works were undertaken and the this idea. Not long after, the project was Kanthack made a personal examination entire system of irrigation altered from approved by Parliament. of the entire length of the Sundays River flood irrigation to irrigation based on the Poort, ‘one of the most imposing bits of storage of flood water. In 1917, the Sundays River Irrigation mountain scenery in South Africa’, reject- Board was established with the sole ing as impractical both provision sites At its completion in purpose of constructing what was soon which had been previously surveyed. named Lake Mentz after the Minister of He selected a new site a short distance November 1913, Korhaans Lands. A loan was provided by the State upstream, in the Jansenville district. Drift was the largest to construct the dam and the repay- ment of the loan was the responsibility In a report for 1917/18 Kanthack irrigation scheme in South of the irrigators by the imposition of a writes: “The project itself is, in my opin- Africa, designed to canal levy by the irrigation board. ion, one of the soundest and most promising ones I have ever been asso- irrigate 4 875 morgen The Sundays River Project, as it was ciated with in South Africa, and paves (4 176,4 ha) of land. then known, was considered unique the way for one of the most favourable by virtue of the fact that almost closer settlement schemes which the the entire area of irrigable land was Union is ever likely to produce. Soil, A flood in 1916 reinforced the argument controlled by companies and not by topography, climate, communications that ‘large volumes of water were being private individuals, and that the exist- and market conditions are all of the lost’, which could only be rectified with ing irrigation works, weirs, canals etc most favourable, and I have no hesita- a large storage scheme. The irrigation had been constructed by the compa- tion whatever in strongly recommend- companies decided to work together nies themselves. Lake Mentz would ing that the works should be financed and approached the Union government be the second-largest dam after the by the State.” The Water Wheel Jul/Aug 2009 Water History 27 Field and preliminary work had been It became necessary to place outspans SOURCES completed in the middle of 1917 and in at 13 km intervals with supplies of drink- Cape Sundays River Settlements, March 1918 the Sundays River Irrigation ing water for the donkeys. At one stage Addo, Cape Province, 1918 (Author Board took over direct control of the during construction, 30 wagons and unknown) project from the Irrigation Department. 500 donkeys were being continuously The Rise of Conservation in South Initial impoundment of the lake was employed. Neumann, writing his report Africa – Settlers, Livestock & the Envi- scheduled for 1919. for 1922 stated that a team of 16 don- ronment, 1770-1950 by Wiliam Beinart keys, drawing 7 000 pounds (3 175 kg), Sundays River Valley, Its History and The mass concrete-type gravity section made an average ten trips a month, Settlement by Jane Meiring was to have a concrete wall 1 000 feet 30 km in each direction. Streams of Life: the Water Supply of (304,8 m) in length and 84 feet (25,6 m) Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, by high. In the wall six sluice gates, each Construction was further marred by the David Raymer 30 feet (9,1 m) wide and 25 feet (7,6 conditions created by the raging World Sunday River Water User Association m) high, worked by hydraulic pressure, War.
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