Water levels in Western Cape dams rose again during the week of Monday, 21 July 2025. The combined total storage across the province’s major and minor dams increased to 83.5%, up from 82.4% the previous week.
Western Cape dam levels on Monday, 21 July 2025
Major dams continued to improve as seasonal rainfall contributed to increased inflows. Voëlvlei Dam showed the most progress among the large dams, gaining 2.6 percentage points to reach 81.5% capacity.
Theewaterskloof, the largest dam in the province, rose from 77.9% to 78.8%. Wemmershoek climbed slightly to 84.8%.
Steenbras Lower Dam increased from 74.5% to 76.2%. Berg River Dam remained nearly full at 100.4%, while Steenbras Upper showed a slight dip from 100.6% to 100.0%.
Rainfall analysis
Substantial rainfall over the week contributed to the increased dam levels. Newlands received 174.5 mm of rain, the highest in the region, followed by Wynberg with 142.3 mm and Table Mountain with 135.1 mm.
Steenbras recorded 124.6 mm, while Wemmershoek reached 116.7 mm. Voëlvlei and Theewaterskloof saw 72.9 mm and 45.6 mm respectively, supporting their level increases. The rainfall totals helped maintain consistent inflows into the dams.
A look at changes in major dams
| Dam | Capacity (ML) | Storage % on 21 July 2025 | Storage % Previous Week | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theewaterskloof | 480188 | 78.8 | 77.9 | +0.9 |
| Voëlvlei | 164095 | 81.5 | 78.9 | +2.6 |
| Berg River | 130010 | 100.4 | 100.4 | 0.0 |
| Wemmershoek | 58644 | 84.8 | 83.5 | +1.3 |
| Steenbras Lower | 33622 | 76.2 | 74.5 | +1.7 |
| Steenbras Upper | 31767 | 100.0 | 100.6 | -0.6 |
Minor dams displayed a mix of gains and losses. Victoria Dam rose 5.6 percentage points to 35.9%, while Land-en-Zeezicht increased to 86.4%, up from 82.4%.
Kleinplaats and De Villiers also saw modest rises. Conversely, Alexandra dropped to 90.2% from 94.3%, and Woodhead fell 5.8 percentage points to 84.3%.
| Dam | Capacity (ML) | Storage % on 21 July 2025 | Storage % Previous Week | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Gay | 57 | 100.3 | 100.3 | 0.0 |
| Wynberg | 103 | 92.2 | 91.6 | +0.6 |
| Alexandra | 85 | 90.2 | 94.3 | -4.1 |
| Victoria | 27 | 35.9 | 30.3 | +5.6 |
| Woodhead | 927 | 84.3 | 90.1 | -5.8 |
| Hely-Hutchinson | 955 | 99.4 | 97.7 | +1.7 |
| De Villiers | 243 | 97.2 | 96.0 | +1.2 |
| Land-en-Zeezicht | 38 | 86.4 | 82.4 | +4.0 |
| Kleinplaats | 41 | 94.3 | 92.7 | +1.6 |
With continued rainfall across key catchment areas and moderate water consumption averaging 857 million litres per day, dam levels in the Western Cape are expected to continue their upward trend in the coming week.