Cape Town Dam Levels — Theewaterskloof, Voëlvlei, Berg River, Wemmershoek and Steenbras combined storage is 74% as of 15 June 2026.

Healthy
Official stat — 15 June 2026
74%
Source · City of Cape Town daily reading
The Outlook

A dry week stretches ahead.

That small Sunday hope has now faded to almost nothing, so the mountains stay quiet all week. The dams are still nudging up, which is some comfort.

vs last year
+14%
Last seen this low
Jun 2025
Rain outlook · 7 days Updated 18:43
  • Wed —
  • Thu —
  • Fri —
  • Sat —
  • Sun —
  • Mon —
  • Tue —
Cape Town dam basin cross-section A bowl-shaped cross-section of combined dam storage. Current level is 73.6%. The seasonal-normal reference line — where levels typically sit at this point in the calendar — is at 59%, and the Day Zero threshold at 13.5%. SEASONAL NORMAL — 59% TYPICAL FOR MID JUNE NOW — 73.6% HEALTHY DAY ZERO — 13.5% CITY 2018 OPERATIONAL TRIGGER FULL 100% ↑ ↓ EMPTY 0% 100% 74% 59% 13.5% 0%
  • Normal 59%
  • Now 73.6%
  • Day Zero 13.5%
Scroll

Want to say thanks?

Cape Town Dam Levels is a personal side project I build and maintain in my spare time. The site is free and ad-free, and I'd like to keep it that way. If it's been useful to you, a virtual high five is genuinely appreciated. If you'd like to chip in toward the hosting and the time I spend on new features, tips start at R20 and go up from there. Thank you for being here.

Tip R20 Tip R50 Tip R100 Other amount

Payments are processed under Ode to the Road, the small company I run this site through.

capetowndamlevels.co.za Updated 15 Jun 2026
The system in six readings

June is running dry so far.
And the week ahead turns drier.

What just fell, what just left the tap, and what the sky is bringing next — read in pairs, as cause and effect.

01 Supply — What came in
01 Rainfall · June · 3 stations · as of 2026-06-17

Well below a
typical June so far.

0.4× normal so far
this June so far typical first 17 days of June
Theewaterskloof 28mm · 0.5×
Voëlvlei 23mm · 0.3×
Wemmershoek 44mm · 0.3×

Verdict Well below a typical June through day 17.

02 Storage · 6 dams combined

The dams ticked up —
0.8 points.

74% was 73% last week
8-week trend +0.8 pts
27 Apr 2026 15 Jun 2026

Verdict Solidly above the caution zone.

02 Demand — What went out
03 Daily demand · vs target

The city is using
less than expected.

874Mℓ 101 Mℓ under target
Used today Target 975 Mℓ

Verdict 10% below the daily target — the kind of week that buys headroom.

04 Per person · ℓ/day · 12-mo avg

11 litres less,
per Capetonian.

149ℓ/day −11 ℓ vs trailing avg
Trailing 12-month average
0 ℓ 200 ℓ

Verdict A small but real saving — sustained, this is what shaves a percentage point off summer drawdown.

03 Forecast — What's coming next
05 Forecast · 7 days · 6 catchments

A drier-than-typical
week ahead.

0.0× normal

vs the same 7 calendar days averaged across the past 10 years

Day-by-day · mm 1 mm vs typical 29 mm (~4.2 mm/day)
0
Wed
0
Thu
0
Fri
0
Sat
0
Sun
0
Mon
0
Tue

Verdict Wed looks like the wettest day.

06 Where it lands · per catchment

Each dam, and
what's coming for it.

0.0× a typical week

total forecast across the six catchments vs the same 7 calendar days over the past 10 years, weighted by dam size

Each dam · % full now below 60% 60%+ safe 75% comfortable
Theewaterskloof 75% +1mm .04× normal
Voëlvlei 59% +1mm .03× normal
Berg River 78% +0mm —
Wemmershoek 100% +0mm .01× normal
Steenbras Upper 83% +0mm —
Steenbras Lower 50% +0mm —

Verdict Theewaterskloof (75% full) and Voëlvlei (59% full) get the biggest soaking.

Looking ahead Two soaking weeks back-to-back is the kind of run that meaningfully shifts the July curve. The next reading will tell us how much of it stuck.

updated daily · 07:00 SAST What is El Niño?
Day Zero predictor — move the sliders

What if?

Pick a rainfall scenario and drag the consumption fader. Pin one configuration and overlay another to compare. The model runs a thousand simulated years against Cape Town's seasonal pattern and shows when the system would empty.

Rainfall scenario
Daily consumption850ML/day
600 · drought-era1200 · unrestricted
about today's usage
Projected combined storageMedian · 25–75 band · 1,000 runs
100%75%50%25%0%JUN 26SEPDECMARJUNTODAY · 74%
What this means

Storage stays comfortable — 51% at the low.

Inflow outruns withdrawal at this scenario; the system finishes the simulation higher than it started.

Monthly storage · median path
Jul 26
83%
Aug
88%
Sep
88%
Oct
84%
Nov
81%
Dec
76%
Jan 27
71%
Feb
64%
Mar
58%
Apr
55%
May
51%
Jun
57%
Jul
65%
Aug
71%
Open the full predictor — framing, methodology & limits → Day Zero in Cape Town, explained →
Theewaterskloof — drag to compare

The same dam, two moments.

Sentinel-2 satellite imagery of Theewaterskloof, which holds more than half the system's capacity. On the left: May 2018, at the edge of Day Zero. On the right: today.

May 2018 · system at 21.4%
May 2026 · system at 71.8%
May 2018 · system at 21.4%
May 2026 · system at 71.8%
Exposed lakebed · total capacity reachCurrent water
Explore the full Theewaterskloof deep-dive →
Every dam in the system

The six dams that supply Cape Town

Cape Town gets virtually all its water from six major dams in the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS). Theewaterskloof alone holds more than half the total capacity; the smaller Steenbras pair sit closest to the city. Today the combined system is at 73.6%.

Per-dam figures below — 15 June 2026 · Source: City of Cape Town daily reading · how this data is collected

Western Cape dam levels → Day Zero predictor → Cape Town's water future → How to save water → Why demand matters → What is El Niño? → Cape Town rainfall by month → South Africa overview → Data sources →
Recent articles
View all articles →

Want to say thanks?

A personal side project — a virtual high five or a small tip toward running costs is appreciated.

Tip R20 Tip R50 Tip R100 Other amount

Payments are processed under Ode to the Road, the small company I run this site through.