Von Bach Dam

Von Bach Dam
Location of Von Bach Dam in Namibia
Official nameVon Bach Dam
CountryNamibia
LocationOkahandja, Otjozondjupa Region
Coordinates22°0′50.49″S 16°57′12.73″E / 22.0140250°S 16.9535361°E / -22.0140250; 16.9535361
Construction began1968
Opening date1970
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, rock-fill
ImpoundsSwakop River
Height35 m (115 ft)
Height (foundation)40 m (130 ft)
Length270 m (890 ft)
Width (crest)7 m (23 ft)
Spillway typeChute
Reservoir
Total capacity48.56×10^6 m3 (63,510,000 cu yd)
Surface area4.89 km2 (1.89 sq mi)

The Von Bach Dam (originally the Sartorius von Bach Dam) is a rock-fill embankment dam on the Swakop River near Okahandja in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. Built in 1968 and commissioned in 1970, the dam provides Namibia's capital of Windhoek with much of the city's water. It also supplies Okahandja. The dam has a capacity of 48.56 million cubic metres (63,510,000 cu yd). Water from the reservoir is sent directly to a water treatment plant downstream. The treatment plant was completed in 1971 and upgraded in 1997.