Hartbeespoort Dam (also known as Harties) is an arch type of dam. It lies in a valley to the south of the Magaliesberg mountain range and north of the Witwatersberg mountain range. The name of the dam means “dam at the gorge of the hartebeest” (a species of antelope) in Afrikaans. This “poort” in the Magaliesberg was a popular spot for hunters, where they cornered and shot the hartebeest in the olden days. The dam was originally designed for irrigation, which is currently its primary use, as well as for domestic and industrial use.
Unfortunately, the dam has suffered from a hypertrophic state since the early 1970s. Mismanagement of wastewater treatment from urban zones within the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment area is largely to blame, having distorted the food web with over 280 tons of phosphate and nitrate deposits.
The construction of the dam officially started in August 1916. Mother Nature caused delays to the building project due to flooding. In 1914 and again in 1918, huge amounts of construction wood washed down the river and were never recovered. During 1915, the wall of the Geldenhuys dam further up the river broke and the flooding of the site also caused another delay. Then disruption caused by the First World War, and the complications brought on by the Rebellion of a group of Afrikaners, brought further delays to the building. In April 1923, after all the setbacks and political upheaval, the project was finally completed. In September of that same year the road over the wall of the Dam and through the tunnel was opened to traffic. The dam first overflowed in March 1925 and we were fortunate to see it firsthand once again!
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