dams
Water wise farmers build earth dams – Part 4: Foundations and seeping lines
by Jan van Heerden, M.Eng Tec The quality of the earth under a dam is of utmost importance. Careful surveying of the nature and depth of the topsoil and subsoil must be done by drilling or sinking test holes (especially at higher walls) over the foundation floor, the basin[...]
Water wise farmers build earth dams – Part 3: Design essentials
by Jan van Heerden, M.Eng Tec The dam design in this series is limited to dams of which the maximum water depth does not exceed eight metres. Dam outlets The spilling of the dam must be designed and constructed in such a way that no flood damage is caused.[...]
Water wise farmers build earth dams – Part 2: Building cost and natural losses of stored water
by Jan van Heerden, M.Eng Tec Dams can be expensive to build and therefore a farmer should do his calculations and planning very carefully to prevent those hidden costs from rising out of control. Water seepage can also be a huge unplanned expense, but it can be reduced to[...]
Water wise farmers build earth dams – Part 1: Types of dams
by Jan van Heerden, M.Eng Tec Earth dams protect a farmer against potential devastating dry spells and this month we start a new series on this huge, but important construction. It is a huge initial expense to build an earth dam, but the long term benefits exceed the capital[...]