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Mhlathuze
Catchment Pilot Study
The Mhlathuze catchment in KwaZulu-Natal is the first of
three pilot projects in the SEA process that is driven by the
Subdirectorate: Stream Flow Reduction Allocations.
The project started at the beginning of September 1999 and
was finished in Septemberl 2000. This particular project focused on all
water uses in the catchment, and didn't just look at the influence of stream
flow reduction activities on the water resource.
The Mhlathuze river is situated on the North Coast of
KwaZulu-Natal and flows into the estuary at Richards Bay. The
catchment covers an area of ± 4,209km2 and is bounded by the
Thukela catchment in the south and west and the Mfolozi catchment in the
north. Major centers in the catchment are Richards Bay, Empangeni and
Melmoth and the University of Zululand is also situated in the study area.
The main water supply systems of the Mhlathuze is the
Goedertrouw dam (capacity 300 million m3); the Mhlathuze Weir;
and the Thukela Transfer Scheme (pumping water from the Thukela to the
Goedertrouw dam at 34 million m3/annum). The natural lakes
in the system also contribute to the system yield.
![[Quaternary catchments of Mhlathuze]](../../images/mhl_quats.jpg) Find
out more about the Mhlathuze pilot project.
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