Water Conditions

Live dam levels & Vaal system gate alerts

DWS data updated 2026-08-31·Updated every Monday

National Average

95.8%

217 dams · 9 provinces

Total Capacity

29,334 Mm³

combined full storage

Dams Above 80%

192

of 217 monitored

Vaal Dam Gates

CLOSED

Season reporting closed

Vaal System — Gate & Discharge Operations

Season Closed

Vaal Dam

Gates Closed

StatusAll gates closed

Last gate closed19 May 2026 · 12:00

Current releaseValve discharge only

Flow rate≈ 16.7 m³/s

Dam level106.1%

Safe conditions for bank anglers downstream. Season reporting closed — gates will remain shut until next significant rainfall event.

Bloemhof Dam

Controlled

StatusControlled release

Current discharge250 m³/s

Last notice19 May 2026

Previous700 m³/s (12 May)

Dam level104.6%

Discharge stepping down steadily since January. Exercise caution near banks on the Vaal below Bloemhof — elevated but stable and falling.

Angler Safety — Vaal River Sections

Safe

Vaal Dam → Barrage

Valve only · ~16.7 m³/s · Ideal for bank fishing

Caution

Barrage → Bloemhof

250 m³/s controlled · Elevated but stable

Caution

Below Bloemhof → Confluence

Downstream release · Stay clear of deep channels

Safe

Harts River

Normal levels · No active operations

❄️ Flood-season gate reporting is closed. DWS pauses daily Vaal gate notices over the dry winter (since 19 May 2026). The Vaal is on low / valve discharge — generally safe for bank anglers below the wall. Daily alerts resume with the summer rains. Check DWS directly →

Dam Levels — Western Cape

Weighted avg

79.9%

Total FSC

1869 Mm³

Dams shown

Above 80%

Below 50%

Overflow >100%Full 80–100%Good 60–80%Low 30–60%Critical <30%

Dam ↕	River	FSC (Mm³) ↓	This Week ↕	Last Wk	Last Yr	vs Last Yr
Theewaterskloof Dam	Riviersonderend River	479.3	76%	76.8%	86.8%	▼ 10.8%
Brandvlei Dam	Lower Brandvlei River	286.1	66.9%	66.1%	76.6%	▼ 9.7%
Kwaggaskloof Dam	Doorn River	169.5	66%	64.4%	75.2%	▼ 9.2%
Voelvlei Dam	Voelvlei River	158.6	60%	60.6%	99.6%	▼ 39.6%
Berg River Dam	Berg River	127.1	90.8%	91%	100.2%	▼ 9.4%
Clanwilliam Dam	Olifants River	122.5	95.5%	95.7%	85.7%	▲ 9.8%
Wemmershoek Dam	Wemmers River	58.8	93.1%	95.1%	93.1%	—
Floriskraal Dam	Buffels River	46.7	99.7%	100%	53.9%	▲ 45.8%
Stompdrift Dam	Olifants River	46.3	100%	100%	74.9%	▲ 25.1%
Gamkapoort Dam	Gamka River	35.8	101%OVF	101.2%	44.8%	▲ 56.2%
Kammanassie Dam	Kammanassie River	34.4	100.5%OVF	100.6%	78.1%	▲ 22.4%
Steenbras-Lower Dam	Steenbras River	33.9	51.3%	49.6%	100.6%	▼ 49.3%
Steenbras-Upper Dam	Steenbras River	31.9	93%	89.8%	99.1%	▼ 6.1%
Eikenhof Dam	Palmiet River	28.9	101.3%OVF	101.3%	101.3%	—
Wolwedans Dam	Groot Brak River	24.7	99.8%	100%	93.7%	▲ 6.1%
Ceres Dam	Koekedou River	17.3	96.9%	98.1%	100%	▼ 3.1%
Stettynskloof Dam	Holsloot River	14.8	96.3%	97.9%	100.8%	▼ 4.5%
Leeugamka Dam	Leeu River	13.5	99.1%	99.7%	42.5%	▲ 56.6%
Garden Route Dam	Swart River	12.5	99.2%	99.9%	74.3%	▲ 24.9%
Elandskloof Dam	Elands River	11	100.1%OVF	100.4%	90.6%	▲ 9.5%
Lakenvallei Dam	Sanddrifskloof River	10.5	100.1%OVF	100.1%	97.1%	▲ 3%
Keerom Dam	Nuy River	9.8	88.4%	88.4%	97.2%	▼ 8.8%
Poortjieskloof Dam	Groot River	9.8	99.2%	99.5%	88.5%	▲ 10.7%
Korentepoort Dam	Korinte River	8.1	100.1%OVF	100.3%	94.7%	▲ 5.4%
Roode Els Berg Dam	Sanddrifskloof River	7.8	98.2%	99.3%	100.2%	▼ 2%
Hartebeestkuil Dam	Hartenbos River	7.2	100%	100%	64.7%	▲ 35.3%
Duiwenhoks Dam	Duiwenhoks River	6.2	100.1%OVF	100.3%	97.7%	▲ 2.4%
De Bos Dam	Onrus River	5.8	100%	100%	100%	—
Misverstand Dam	Berg River	5.7	106.5%OVF	108.7%	117.6%	▼ 11.1%
Calitzdorp Dam	Nels River	4.9	100.3%OVF	100.5%	65.9%	▲ 34.4%
Bulshoek Dam	Olifants River	4.9	90.1%	93%	91.7%	▼ 1.6%
Haarlem Dam	Groot River	4.7	100.7%OVF	101%	69.7%	▲ 31%
Buffeljags Dam	Buffeljags River	4.6	100.6%OVF	100.8%	99.4%	▲ 1.2%
Klipheuwel Dam	Tributary — Hartenbos River	4.5	18.1%	18.7%	23.8%	▼ 5.7%
Bellair Dam	Brak River	4.3	96.3%	96.5%	84.2%	▲ 12.1%
Oukloof Dam	Cordiers River	4.3	100.4%OVF	100.4%	99.2%	▲ 1.2%
Prinsrivier Dam	Prins River	2.3	99.5%	100.2%	39.8%	▲ 59.7%
Roodefontein Dam	Piesang River	2	99.4%	99.7%	51.4%	▲ 48%
Klipberg Dam	Konings River	2	101.3%OVF	101.3%	63.3%	▲ 38%
Pietersfontein Dam	Pietersfontein River	2	100.2%OVF	100.3%	80.3%	▲ 19.9%
Gamka Dam	Gamka River	1.8	100%	100.2%	39.3%	▲ 60.7%
Miertjieskraal Dam	Brand River	1.5	99.8%	100%	81.5%	▲ 18.3%
Ernest Robertson Dam	Groot Brak River	0.5	100.4%OVF	100.4%	57.4%	▲ 43%
Tierkloof Dam	Trib. — Seweweekspoort River	0.1	100%	100%	81.6%	▲ 18.4%

Dam name links to venue page · FSC = Full Storage Capacity · Source: DWS Weekly State of Dams

Gate Notice History

View on VB Hydrology →

19 May 2026Vaal DamLatest

Close the one (1) gate at 12:00.

19 May 2026BloemhofLatest

Maintain the discharge at 250m³/s.

17 May 2026Vaal Dam

Keep one (1) gate open.

17 May 2026Bloemhof

Reduce the discharge to 250m³/s at 10:00.

12 May 2026Vaal Dam

Keep one (1) gate open.

12 May 2026Bloemhof

Reduce the discharge to 700m³/s at 10:00.

Browse all 217 dams by province

Western Cape (44)

Free State (21)

North West (28)

Gauteng (5)

Mpumalanga (22)

Limpopo (29)

KwaZulu-Natal (19)

Eastern Cape (43)

Northern Cape (6)

Data sourced from DWS Hydrological Services and VB Hydrology (DWS Comms). Updated weekly every Monday. CastZone does not warrant the accuracy of DWS data — always exercise caution near water.