Waterwise Multi-Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A cache at the top of town, with spectacular views over the mountain and the city
I suggest you approach from Upper Orange Road and turn right into Camp street. You will pass two old reservoirs on your right, built between 1849 and 1860. They supplied water to the city that came from Platteklip stream, running down the front face of the mountain. The reservoirs are not used anymore today, except from the occasional fire-fighting helicopter filling up with water there during the mountain fires in summer.
Turn left into Molteno Road. On your left you will pass Molteno reservoir. Park there. This reservoir was built when demand outgrew the supply of the previous two reservoirs and was completed in 1881. It collapsed in August 1882, flooding the lower parts of the city. It took 4 years to rebuild an now holds 188 Mega-liters. This sheet of water attracted many seagulls, which caused a pollution problem. This was solved by stringing fishing line at 5metres intervals above the water, this spoilt the gull’s runway, and they gave up on Molteno Reservoir in disgust!
The industrial-like looking building at S33° 56.300 E018° 24.617 was actually a power station, generating hydro-power from the water coming from Platteklip stream, until 1920. The building was built in A.D.: ABCD
Continue on Molteno Road all the way to the top.The entire Oranjezicht used to be a vegetable farm and this was one of the main access roads to its terraces, still evident in the 'stepped' layout of the road today. Park at the top and walk up the jeep track for a short distance.
There are two underground reservoirs here. One towards Devil's Peak and one towards Table Mountain. At the lower one, at S 33° 56.680 E 018° 24.442 you will find some transformers to the right of the door. There is a number printed below the word 'Substation'. The number is EBCF You can work out "G"as D plus E
These reservoirs supply drinking water to the entire central city. In winter when rainfall is plenty, the water comes from the reservoirs on top of Table Mountain, gets treated at the Kloof Nek water treatment plant and pumped into these reservoirs here. In summer when the dams atop run dry, treated water gets pumped from Steenbras dam in the Hottentots Holland mountains over 60 kilometers away to the east, into Molteno reservoir, and from there up here and even back to Kloof Nek to supply the atlantic suburbs like Camps Bay and Llandudno!
Walk the Jeep track to your right up to the second reservoir. This path will take you to the cache- you don't need to bush-whack a shortcut there!
The cache is at S33° 56.GCA E 018° 24.FCB
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
haqre gur ebpx
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