Dam levels in the Western Cape rose marginally in the week ending Monday, 26 May 2025, with overall storage reaching 59.3%.
Western Cape dam levels on Monday, 26 May 2025
This reflects a 0.3 percentage point increase from the previous week, as scattered rainfall across the region began to influence water availability.
Major dams within the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) displayed mixed performance. Berg River showed the largest improvement, rising by 1.5 percentage points to 63.2%.
Steenbras Upper increased slightly by 0.6%, while Steenbras Lower remained unchanged at 39.7%. Theewaterskloof, the system’s largest dam, recorded a slight decline of 0.3%, ending the week at 58.9%. Voëlvlei improved by 0.8%, and Wemmershoek held steady at 50.1%.
Rainfall Analysis
Rainfall was recorded at key monitoring stations. Steenbras received 111.5 mm, Newlands 98.0 mm, and Table Mountain 90.5 mm. These early seasonal rains helped support dam replenishment, particularly in higher altitude catchments.
A look at changes in major dams
| Dam | Capacity (ML) | Storage % on 26 May 2025 | Storage % Previous Week | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berg River | 130,010 | 63.2% | 61.7% | +1.5% |
| Steenbras Lower | 33,517 | 39.7% | 39.7% | 0.0% |
| Steenbras Upper | 31,767 | 90.6% | 90.0% | +0.6% |
| Theewaterskloof | 480,188 | 58.9% | 59.2% | -0.3% |
| Voëlvlei | 164,095 | 58.5% | 57.7% | +0.8% |
| Wemmershoek | 58,644 | 50.1% | 50.1% | 0.0% |
Cape Town minor dams weekly changes
In the minor dams category, some reservoirs experienced notable changes. Hely-Hutchinson more than doubled its storage percentage, jumping from 11.7% to 25.0%.
Woodhead also saw an increase of 2.7 percentage points, reaching 52.2%. However, Victoria Dam dropped significantly by 22.9 percentage points to 6.2%. De Villiers declined by 4.7%, while most others showed either small gains or stable levels.
| Dam | Capacity (ML) | Storage % on 26 May 2025 | Storage % Previous Week | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra | 126 | 32.2% | 30.6% | +1.6% |
| De Villiers | 243 | 67.6% | 72.3% | -4.7% |
| Hely-Hutchinson | 925 | 25.0% | 11.7% | +13.3% |
| Kleinplaats | 1,368 | 5.1% | 5.9% | -0.8% |
| Land-en-Zeezicht | 451 | 73.4% | 72.1% | +1.3% |
| Lewis Gay | 182 | 97.2% | 97.7% | -0.5% |
| Victoria | 128 | 6.2% | 29.1% | -22.9% |
| Woodhead | 954 | 52.2% | 49.5% | +2.7% |
Water production from all sources totaled 831 million litres per day. Major dams supplied the majority at 822 MLD, with minor dams and groundwater contributing 2 MLD and 7 MLD respectively.