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BUFFELS RIVER ESTUARY: Physical Features |
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Topography |
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As it approaches the coast, the river has a fairly narrow steep-sided course, which runs southwards towards the Kleinsee settlement before bearing west to run north of the settlement where it widens out at the mouth. The mouth itself is offset, to the south. (Ref1) |
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Bathymetry |
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A dry sandy riverbed with shallow pans and channels in the lower reaches. The aerial photographs of 1964 and 1976 show relatively large expanses of water at the mouth as compared with the situatiion at the time of the ECRU survey. (Ref1) |
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Obstructions |
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A tarred road from Kleinsee to the mine, crosses the river 1,7 km from the mouth and a large embankment 12m high carries this road. (Ref1) |
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In the first case, inadequate provision is made for flood waters to flow under the road and in the second case no provision is made for any throughflow of water. (Ref1) |
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A leveé of 700m has been constructed in the riverbed to protect the golf course from floods. This has the effect of preventing the river from spreading over its lower floodplain on which the golf course has been built. This leveé has been breached at times of high flow and it is inevitable that this will happen again. (Ref1) |
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An old "tailings dump" from the mine, which encroaches significantly on the natural river course is situated on the first major bend in the river, upstream from the mouth but this is being removed by De Beers at present. (Ref1) |
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A dune-field of transverse barchan dunes stretches across the rivermouth. (Ref1) |