Rain gives dam a good boost

Writer: De Waal Steyn.

Just when we thought that winter and our rainy season were over, the heavens opened on Friday 25 October and within a matter of hours Main Road in Hermanus was impassable due to a number of blocked drains that caused major flooding in the CBD.

The unexpected spring storm brought with it not only more than 135 mm of rain, measured from Friday to Monday, but gusting winds reaching speeds of up to 138 km/h were also measured in the Hermanus Ridge area.

In the process, the water level of the De Bos Dam rose by 8% from 43% to 51%, said Deputy Director of Engineering and Planning, Hanré Blignaut. The rise in the level of the dam is, however, not enough to prevent the Level 3 water restrictions from coming into effect on 1 November in the Greater Hermanus area. According to the municipality, water restrictions will stay in place until the dam level has reached at least 70%.

The heavy rains have broken several records in the Overstrand. According to the rainfall statistics of the South African National Space Agency (SAN- SA) dating back to 1947, the highest

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