How are Cape Town's dams holding up ahead of the warmer weather? Are they at a higher level than last year? Here's what you need to know.
Cape Town’s main water supply dams remain close to full capacity, according to the Western Cape Department of Water and Sanitation’s latest provincial dam report issued on 15 September.
The report shows that overall storage across the province sits at 84.8%, only marginally down from 85.2% last week and lower than the 94.0% recorded this time last year.
Despite the seasonal decline, most of the city’s largest dams are holding steady well above critical levels.
Theewaterskloof shows minor drop
The Theewaterskloof Dam, the largest dam supplying Cape Town, is currently at 85.8%, down slightly from 86.5% the previous week.
Last year at this time, it was at 101.4% following strong winter rains.
Voëlvlei, Berg River and Wemmershoek healthy
The Voëlvlei Dam has edged up to 100.9% from 100.4% last week, slightly higher than the 100.2% it held a year ago.
The Berg River Dam recorded 99.6% this week, down fractionally from 99.9% last week and unchanged from last year’s 99.9%.
Meanwhile, the Wemmershoek Dam has slipped to 90.0% from 91.8% last week, notably lower than the 100.0% seen a year ago.
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Steenbras dams remain full
Both the Steenbras Lower and Steenbras Upper dams remain effectively full.
The Lower Dam stands at 97.5% this week, slightly down from 99.4% last week, while the Upper Dam is at 101.0%, compared to 101.5% last week.
A year ago, they measured 98.6% and 101.4% respectively.
Other key dams showing mixed trends
Several other large Western Cape dams also remain relatively high.
The Clanwilliam Dam has climbed to 92.4%, from 90.0% last week, but is still below last year’s 99.0%.
The Kwaggaskloof Dam stands at 76.1%, slightly higher than 76.0% last week but lower than 79.5% a year ago.
The Brandvlei Dam is at 77.6%, unchanged from last week and down from 80.6% last year, while the Misverstand Dam, fed by the Berg River, is at 112.7%, down from 114.6% last week and 119.6% last year but still well above full capacity.
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