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Water pollution threat to tourist heaven By Tony Mcgregor Hartbeespoort Dam in South Africa's North West Province is a beautiful place of tranquil reflections on large expanses of water, with a historic dam wall built in the 1920s and featuring the only Roman style triumphal arch in South Africa. This dam is threatened with the run-off from the farms in the surrounding areas, a rate of pollution estimated at more than 200 tons per year of phosphates, in addition to some 600 million litres of treated effluent per day. The pollution has created a state of hypertrophy which has resulted in the rapid growth of both water weeds such as water hyacynth and toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). The dam itself holds some 205 million m3 of water within a shoreline circumference of about 56 kilometres. To rectify the situation the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry of the South African government has initiated a Hartbeespoort Dam Integrated Biological Remediation Programme known as Harties - Metsi a Mi (Harties - my water). This is a long-term project which calls for a multi-pronged and multi-phased approach to the problem which it is hoped will restore the dam water to near pristine quality and so facilitate tourist industry growth around the dam. The dam is already a favoured week-end and vacation get-away for many, but the pollution of the dam, which results in, among other negative aspects, a foul smell in the vicinity of the water, is threatening to chase potential visitors away. The Department has instituted a Resource Management Plan (RMP) which will ensure sustainable management of the dam. Other activities that will be undertaken to improve the water quality at the dam are: To examine the recreational use of the dam to find ways to manage these activities in order for everyone to participate in them; To remove the algal bloom from the dam; To remove the sediment and find ways for future use of this sediment that will benefit the environment; The fish population will be re-established; The shoreline plant life will be restored; Options for treating the water in the dam are being examined; Surroundingwetlands will be rehabilitated; The water quality in the dam will be monitored on an ongoing basis.

External Links

http://www.dwaf.gov.za/harties/

Images

The famous "Roman" triumphal arch on the dam wall

Looking into the body of the dam past the sluice gates

A cruise launch on the dam

Typical blue-green algae in the water of the dam

Typical pollution

Contributed by Tony McGregor on July 18, 2009, at 9:53 AM UTC.

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tonymac04 on HubPages A site with my writing on various topics hubpages.com/profile/tonymac04

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This intel was contributed by Tony McGregor Tony McGregor

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