GALLERY: There’s a dam leak

Alberts Farm is not just a park in Greymont. Julie Gouws, chairperson of Friends of Alberts Farm says according to a Wits University study, it is a catchment area that feeds Montgomery Spruit and its preservation is therefore crucial.

The water level of the dam used to be much higher than it is now. Gouws said, “The dam wall was originally very well constructed but over the years trees have self-seeded in the wall. This was fine while the trees were alive but some were cut out and others reached the end of their natural life span. As the trees died, so did the root systems. It was initially quite easy to plug the holes, [but] now the network of leaks is just overwhelming. The main worry is the impending rainy season will be too much for the leaks.”

Civil engineering firm Jones and Wagener has scoped the permanent repair that needs to be done, however it cannot be done immediately owing to Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo apparently not having the budget for an upgrade yet. Gouws continued, “But they have given us the go ahead to do interim repairs to the wall. The plan is to take soil from the park – and for ecological reasons it is safest to use soil from the park than to bring it in from elsewhere – and pack it against the dam wall.”

The repairs done up to this point are very basic – no more than tarpaulin sheets packed with mud – but the leak network has expanded since. If Friends of Alberts Farm do the interim repairs, as have been recommended by the engineers, these should last for the next two years until the major repairs can be done, in partnership with Johnnesburg City Parks and Zoo.