Windsor Dam Wall Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Windsor dam Ladysmith.Head out on the Harrismith road from Ladysmith and there is a sign post showing the turnoff about 6km out of town. Take the turnoff and follow the road till it splits just below the cache. Walk the rest of the way as turning round could be a challenge.
Windsor Dam was originally build to control flooding of Ladysmith, in KwaZulu-Natal by the Klip River, but silt buildup quickly reduced its efficiency. The Windsor Dam was commissioned in 1950, has a capacity of 772 cubic meters, and a surface area of 0.826 square kilometers, the dam wall is 17 meters high.
Ladysmith was founded in the mid-19th century alongside one of the meanders of the Klip River. The location was chosen for protection against native tribesmen, but in the last 110 years, Ladysmith has experienced 29 notable floods. The most recent floods occurred in February 1994, when the highest water levels in the last 71 years were recorded. An attempt to control flooding was made with the construction of the Windsor Dam in 1949. Unfortunately, the reservoir has been largely silted up so that its live storage capacity has been reduced to around 5%. The present flood walls in Ladysmith can be overtopped by a flood with a recurrence period of once every five years. This happens when channel flow exceeds 700 m3 s-1.
A number of flood alleviation schemes have been discussed over the years including the construction of artificial levees and river canalization. The scheme in vogue at present would involve the construction of another dam and reservoir. Although the reservoir would offer protection to the town, to do so it would have to remain at 10% of its storage capacity in order to retain a 100 year flood. An alternative solution, which would be less expensive, would be to relocate those properties affected most by the recent floods.
The Qedusizi Dam further downstream in the Klip River was completed in 1997 to take over the task of flood management.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
haqre ebpxf arkg gb ebnq gb gur jnyy.