Montagu Leiwater Gebruikersvereniging/
Leiwater is water channeled from source(s) (rivers and dams) through canals and/or pipes to supply irrigation water to properties in a town or farming community. The water is directed by a system of valves, taps and sluice gates, which are manually operated. Most systems, including Montagu's, are gravity fed.
Leiwater is an Afrikaans (Dutch) word - lei means to lead, guide or direct. Leiwater is guided through canals. In English this would be "channeled water" or "canalised water", but we use the Afrikaans word in English as well, not an English equivalent.
Each property with leiwater access has a beurt (turn) every week. Many of the properties in Montagu are smallholdings supporting working farms (olives, pecan nuts, citrus, sheep etc.). Most members have a water-collection point too (dams, tanks, fish ponds) to store water for the rest of the week. All water not used goes back into the river, so none of it is wasted.
Canal running through Euvrard Park
Montagu's leiwater is a private system (not administered by the municipality), and all users are members of the Montagu Leiwater Gebruikersvereniging. The Leiwater Committee make sure that it runs smoothly by checking all sources and inlets, carrying out repairs and maintenance (including flood-damage repairs), and communicating with the members.
The Leiwater system is divided into five sections. Each section has a Section Rep who is the first point of contact for queries and help.
There is a Schedule of all the beurte so that all users know when their beurt is, who comes before and after them, and how to contact the other users.
For any queries please Contact the Secretary
If you wish to apply for leiwater, please complete the appropriate application form Applications / Aansoeke
Map of the leiwater service area sections.
The Leidam. Photo © Willie Long.
Blackcrowned Night Heron | Purple Heron | Cape Weaver
The dam is a storage point to ensure water availability during the day.
There are three valves at the dam, which serve different streets in the town. Every year the system is shut down for a week or two for Winter Maintenance. The dam is emptied so that we can remove excess watergrass and reeds, and to clear debris from the outlet pipes and repair valves. There is always some water left in the bottom of the dam for the frogs and fish.
The dam is surrounded by several large soetdoring (Vachellia (Acacia) karroo) trees and reedbeds. The vegetation supports a wide range of breeding and foraging birds, and has become an international birding attraction. The Montagu Eco-Club erected a beautiful hide in 2009, which is a great viewing platform. The project was funded entirely by the townspeople.
The dam is easily accessible, right in the centre of town on the corner of Barry & Bath Street. You can download the Full Birdlist (.xls). If you have any sightings of new birds, please let us know. And, even better, load photos of them on iNaturalist. See the birds (and other beasties) in our collection of sightings on iNaturalist.
For other attractions in Montagu, visit the Montagu site.
The current system takes water from several streams in Donkerkloof as well as the Keisie River, and the pipes, valves, canals and covers are all maintained by the Montagu Leiwater Gebruikersvereniging committee and users.
The erven North of Bath Street are known as the droëerwe (dry erven) because they lie higher than the canals. The erven that receive water (between Bath Street and the Kingna, and some parts of Montagu West) are known as the watererwe (water erven).
The water flows through concrete canals which run down road-edges, under pavements and through some properties. In some places it goes under the ground in pipes.
Map showing the extent of the catchment for leiwater in Donkerkloof (by Richard Knipe). The red lines are the main pipes and canals.
Click on the picture to see a larger image.
See our panel on leiwater
In South Africa, leiwater is present in most small towns in the Western Cape province, and a few in the Northern and Eastern Cape provinces. There used to be more towns with leiwater, but some have fallen into disrepair or been removed altogether. Some towns have lost their systems to floods, especially the 1981 Laingsburg Floods. There are still many towns with active leiwater, and these are some of them:
Elsewhere in the world there are canal systems in some towns (though they're not called "leiwater"). Examples include the Madeira levadas and Spanish acequia or séquia (found in Iberia and former Spanish colonies like Brazil and New Mexico (USA)). The Mediterranean systems were introduced by the Moors. There are leats in Wales and the south and west of England which carry water for irrigation or for other purposes like household or millwheel use.
The conducting of water is obviously an age old practice, and examples can be found all over the world.
All forms are available in English and Afrikaans.
You can take water only during your allocated beurt, skepbeurt or skepregte. You will have a copy of the Schedule which details all the beurte. If you have lost your Schedule, please contact the Secretary to get another one.
There is no recourse for a missed beurt. You will have to wait for your allocated time next week.
The leidam is on the corner of Barry and Bath Streets in Montagu.
The hide is always open, and accessible from the road.
Costs absolutely nothing :-) It is free to use.
Download our Full Birdlist (.xls). At least 73 species have been recorded on the dam so far. There is a heronry (various herons, egrets, spoonbills, ibises and cormorants) and other water, vlei and garden birds (e.g. weavers, doves, ducks, shelduck, warblers, coot, moorhen). The heronry is active all day during the breeding season (spring to autumn), and in the mornings and evenings in winter. There are more birds present in the warmer months when the migrants like swallows are present.
If you have any sightings of new birds, please let us know. And, even better, load photos of them on iNaturalist. See the birds (and other beasties) in our collection of sightings on iNaturalist.
There are also dragonflies, butterflies and frogs. And, if you're very lucky, you may see the otters.
Many leiwater terms are Afrikaans and used in English.
We don't have an office as such, so please contact our Secretary on:
☎ +27 (0)71 477 7791
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