Appendix O2 - Biophysical Report.pdf - Zitholele.co.za

February 2011 80 12619vegetation that provides good cover at short distances, but it is too short to be effective over longerdistance views.There are several major rivers in the area, including the Vaal and White Umfolozi to name but afew. For an illustration of the surface water features please refer to Figure 5-1.The landscape surrounding the proposed power line Alternatives vary quite substantially andhence so does the screening for the proposed power line. There are also several existing powerlines on site. Figure 8-2 below provides a view of some the existing power lines found along theroute. Note how the different structures and vegetation influence the visibility of the lines.ViewshedFigure 8-2: View of existing power lines in the study area.It should be noted that the viewsheds for each of the alternatives, which are plotted on the figuresbelow, are an approximation that may vary in some locations. Potential views to the proposedpower line are likely to be blocked in some localised situations by buildings, vegetation or locallandform features at specific locations within the viewshed. Similarly, glimpses of the proposedpower line may be available from some isolated high-elevation locations outside the plottedviewshed. The figures illustrate the visibility of each of the alternatives. The coloured areasindicate areas that are visible with the red areas having very high visibility and the green havinglower visibility. It should be noted that the variations in visual impact between Alternatives 2 and 3are relatively small, considering they follow a very similar alignment.ZITHOLELE CONSULTING