THE WATER SUPPLY OF KINGWILLIAMSTOWN. 



By T. George Caink^ MJnst.M.&Cy.E. 

 With Plates XI, XII. 



Read July 7, 1919. 



It has been suggested that, in view of the visit of the 

 Association to the Perie Dam, a short paper describing that 

 portion of the waterworks of Kingwilliamstown would be of 

 interest. 



Historical. 



The Buffalo River being the natural source of water for 

 Kingwilliamstown, the history of its water supply has been 

 the story of a succession of dams built across the river, one above 

 the other, as the town grew. The first of these was constructed 

 by the pioneer missionary, the Rev. John Brownlee, the founder 

 of Kingwilliamstown, who cut a furrow about two' miles in 

 length to supply his mission station with water. When the 

 mission station became a military settlement, the furrow was 

 taken over by the military authorities, who also built a masonry 

 dam across the river. Subsequently, the furrow and dam were 

 taken over by the municipal authorities, who also built a number 

 of masonry dams across the river, one above the other, to supply 

 the town with water, as the growth of the town required a 

 higher and higher source of supply. Previous to the year 

 1908, at least five dams had been so constructed across the river 

 one above the other, the highest of which was situated at a place 

 called Izeli, at an elevation of about 260 feet above the town and 

 seven miles distant. This dam, known as the Intake Dam, only 

 held about two million gallons, so that the town had very little 

 reserve to depend upon. The Aladen Dam at the Perie, which 

 the Association is to visit, is built at an elevation of 550 feet 

 above the town, and holds 80 million gallons. It is situated 

 in beautiful surroundings, just within the Perie Forest, above 

 the inhabited zone. The distance from Kingwilliamstown is 

 about 14 miles. 



Catchment Area. 



The catchment area above the dam is about 9,300 acres, and 

 consists of forest-clad mountains rising to a height of between 

 3,000 and 4,000 feet above the dam, with a few grassy glades, 

 particularly near the summit of the mountains. 



Run-off. 



The run-off from the catchment area is dealt with in the 

 author's paper on " The Possibilities and Development oi the 

 Coastal Belt of South Africa." 



