Cape Town Dam Levels — Theewaterskloof, Voëlvlei, Berg River, Wemmershoek and Steenbras combined storage is 78% as of 11 August 2026.

Healthy
Official stat — 11 August 2026
78%
Source · City of Cape Town daily reading
The Outlook

Dry all week, no rain in sight.

That wet stretch is fully behind us now, and nothing is coming to replace it. The dams will drift through a clear, still week.

vs last year
−12%
Last seen this low
Aug 2022
Rain outlook · 7 days Updated 16:00
  • Tue —
  • Wed —
  • Thu —
  • Fri —
  • Sat —
  • Sun —
  • Mon —
Cape Town dam basin cross-section A bowl-shaped cross-section of combined dam storage. Current level is 78.3%. The seasonal-normal reference line — where levels typically sit at this point in the calendar — is at 89%, and the Day Zero threshold at 13.5%. SEASONAL NORMAL — 89% TYPICAL FOR MID AUGUST NOW — 78.3% HEALTHY DAY ZERO — 13.5% CITY 2018 OPERATIONAL TRIGGER FULL 100% ↑ ↓ EMPTY 0% 100% 89% 78% 13.5% 0%
  • Normal 89%
  • Now 78.3%
  • Day Zero 13.5%
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capetowndamlevels.co.za Updated 11 Aug 2026
The system in six readings

August is tracking normally so far.
And the week ahead looks steady.

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 · August · 3 stations · as of 2026-08-11

On track for a
normal August.

1.1× normal so far
this August so far typical first 11 days of August
Theewaterskloof 35mm · 1.7×
Voëlvlei 8mm · 0.3×
Wemmershoek 30mm · 0.6×

Verdict On track with a typical August through day 11.

02 Storage · 6 dams combined

The dams held flat this week.

78% was 78% last week
8-week trend +0.3 pts
04 May 2026 11 Aug 2026

Verdict Healthy — well above the trigger band for restrictions.

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 0 mm vs typical 23 mm (~3.3 mm/day)
0
Tue
0
Wed
0
Thu
0
Fri
0
Sat
0
Sun
0
Mon

Verdict Tue 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 78% +0mm —
Voëlvlei 62% +0mm —
Berg River 92% +0mm —
Wemmershoek 98% +0mm —
Steenbras Upper 97% +0mm —
Steenbras Lower 54% +0mm —

Verdict Theewaterskloof (78% full) and Voëlvlei (62% full) get the biggest soaking.

Looking ahead Two soaking weeks back-to-back is the kind of run that meaningfully shifts the September 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%AUG 26NOVFEBMAYAUGTODAY · 78%
What this means

The system stays above 41% through next summer.

At 850 ML/day, dams draw down through autumn but the winter rains catch up before things get tight.

Monthly storage · median path
Sep 26
78%
Oct
74%
Nov
71%
Dec
66%
Jan 27
61%
Feb
54%
Mar
47%
Apr
45%
May
41%
Jun
46%
Jul
55%
Aug
61%
Sep
61%
Oct
57%
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: the most recent cloud-free pass, June 2026.

May 2018 · system at 21.4%
June 2026 · system at 73.3%
May 2018 · system at 21.4%
June 2026 · system at 73.3%
Exposed lakebed · total capacity reachCurrent water
Explore the full Theewaterskloof deep-dive → Theewaterskloof dam level, tracked →
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 78.3%.

Per-dam figures below — 11 August 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? → El Niño 2026 and the dams → Cape Town rainfall by month → The Cape Town drought, a data case study → Cape Town water supply disruptions → South Africa overview → Data sources →
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