Big change at the Vaal Dam

The Vaal Dam recorded a level of 102.27% on Wednesday, 3 December 2025, according to the latest measurements from The Reservoir, a Water Resource Information Centre for the Catchment Management Forums of the Upper Vaal Water Management Area.

The facility, which forms an essential part of the integrated Vaal river system, has four gates currently open with an inflow of 505.6m³/s and an outflow of 493.9m³/s.

The Wednesday reading represents a decline from earlier in the week, when the dam reached 103.42% on 1 December.

On that day, eight gates were open with a substantially higher outflow of 1 269.0m³/s, while inflow stood at 571.7m³/s.

By Tuesday, 2 December, the dam level had decreased to 102.65%, prompting authorities to reduce the number of open gates to six.

The outflow on that day was recorded at 729.9m³/s, with an inflow of 471.8 m³/s.

ALSO READ: 10 sluice gates open at Vaal Dam as water levels rise rapidly

Gate management and water release

The Reservoir’s recommendation for Wednesday was to keep four gates open.

This adjustment reflects the dam’s gradually decreasing levels as outflow has generally exceeded inflow over the three-day period.

The Vaal Barrage, which works in conjunction with the dam system, recorded a level of 6.8 metres on Wednesday with an outflow of 957.4m³/s and a water temperature of 19.4° Celsius.

The barrage level fluctuated during the week, sitting at 7.1 metres on Monday before dropping to 6.5 metres on Tuesday.

Vaal Dam comparison to previous periods

Despite the week-on-week decline, the dam’s current levels remain substantially elevated compared to historical measurements.

According to the Department of Water and Sanitation’s weekly comparison report, the Vaal Dam recorded 103.4% on Monday, up from 101.3% the previous week.

These figures stand in stark contrast to the same period last year, when the dam sat at just 28.6%.

READ NEXT: Crisis averted at the Vaal Dam