The Mossel River starts off high up in the mountains above Hermanus, where it starts off as a small stream crossing The Jeep Track. It is halted in its progress by the Three Dams. The dams were built in 1930 by The Mossel River and Poole’s Bay Village Management Boards as a water source for these townships. Today these are suburbs of Greater Hermanus and are called Voëlklip and Eastcliff. The Mossel River continues down through a green belt, flows under the bridge at the Voēlklip Traffic Circle and joins the Cliff Path, where it tumbles out to sea over the rocks at Mossel River Beach.
The Dams are known as The High level Arch Dam, The PJ Luyt Arch Dam and The Rockhill Dam. Once used as a water supply, the dams no longer serve that purpose and are used as a source of grey water for various purposes, including irrigation of the Golf Course. It is also a very popular recreation area for locals in the hot summer months to swim and picnic.
There is a lot of history in how these dams and their water supply came to be a stalemate in the amalgamation talks of the townships of Hermanus, Mossel River and Poole’s Bay Village. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290084212_Water_Water_Anywhere_The_history_of_Water_supply_in_Greater_Hermanus_South_Africa
https://www.netwerk24.com/ZA/Hermanus-Times/Stemme/Dams-in-Fernkloof-have-a-long-history-20151021
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