Water Conditions

Live dam levels & Vaal system gate alerts

DWS data updated 2026-06-15·Updated every Monday
National Average
97.2%
217 dams · 9 provinces
Total Capacity
29 334 Mm³
combined full storage
Dams Above 80%
196
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
74.1%
Total FSC
1869 Mm³
Dams shown
44
Above 80%
37
Below 50%
4
Overflow >100%Full 80–100%Good 60–80%Low 30–60%Critical <30%
Dam ↕RiverFSC (Mm³) ↓This Week ↕Last WkLast Yrvs Last Yr
Theewaterskloof DamRiviersonderend River479,3
74.7%
74%62.7%▲ 12%
Brandvlei DamLower Brandvlei River286,1
49.3%
47.8%46.9%▲ 2.4%
Kwaggaskloof DamDoorn River169,5
48.7%
46.9%46.1%▲ 2.6%
Voelvlei DamVoelvlei River158,6
59.2%
59.4%60.3%▼ 1.1%
Berg River DamBerg River127,1
77.8%
76.3%73.4%▲ 4.4%
Clanwilliam DamOlifants River122,5
87.6%
84.7%37.1%▲ 50.5%
Wemmershoek DamWemmers River58,8
99.5%
97.8%60.7%▲ 38.8%
Floriskraal DamBuffels River46,7
101%OVF
98.2%55.4%▲ 45.6%
Stompdrift DamOlifants River46,3
102.3%OVF
105.4%77.4%▲ 24.9%
Gamkapoort DamGamka River35,8
105.1%OVF
113.7%53.9%▲ 51.2%
Kammanassie DamKammanassie River34,4
101.7%OVF
103.1%79.7%▲ 22%
Steenbras-Lower DamSteenbras River33,9
48.5%
47.7%45.3%▲ 3.2%
Steenbras-Upper DamSteenbras River31,9
82.9%
82.2%92.8%▼ 9.9%
Eikenhof DamPalmiet River28,9
101.3%OVF
102.1%53%▲ 48.3%
Wolwedans DamGroot Brak River24,7
100.5%OVF
100.4%100.1%▲ 0.4%
Ceres DamKoekedou River17,3
100%
100%60.2%▲ 39.8%
Stettynskloof DamHolsloot River14,8
101.5%OVF
100.8%61.5%▲ 40%
Leeugamka DamLeeu River13,5
101.3%OVF
102.8%49.9%▲ 51.4%
Garden Route DamSwart River12,5
100%
100%92.6%▲ 7.4%
Elandskloof DamElands River11
100.8%OVF
97.8%36%▲ 64.8%
Lakenvallei DamSanddrifskloof River10,5
100.1%OVF
100.1%91.2%▲ 8.9%
Keerom DamNuy River9,8
88.4%
88.4%85.7%▲ 2.7%
Poortjieskloof DamGroot River9,8
100.6%OVF
100.5%84.1%▲ 16.5%
Korentepoort DamKorinte River8,1
89.1%
86.9%100.2%▼ 11.1%
Roode Els Berg DamSanddrifskloof River7,8
97.7%
97.5%31.3%▲ 66.4%
Hartebeestkuil DamHartenbos River7,2
101.3%OVF
95.2%69.7%▲ 31.6%
Duiwenhoks DamDuiwenhoks River6,2
100.4%OVF
103%100.3%▲ 0.1%
De Bos DamOnrus River5,8
98.7%
97.7%74.3%▲ 24.4%
Misverstand DamBerg River5,7
116.4%OVF
113.6%114.6%▲ 1.8%
Calitzdorp DamNels River4,9
100.7%OVF
100.9%66.9%▲ 33.8%
Bulshoek DamOlifants River4,9
85.2%
89%89.9%▼ 4.7%
Haarlem DamGroot River4,7
101%OVF
101.4%75.3%▲ 25.7%
Buffeljags DamBuffeljags River4,6
101.4%OVF
102.8%101%▲ 0.4%
Klipheuwel DamTributary — Hartenbos River4,5
36.9%
37.7%30.5%▲ 6.4%
Bellair DamBrak River4,3
96.3%
92.5%85.4%▲ 10.9%
Oukloof DamCordiers River4,3
100.6%OVF
101.2%93.7%▲ 6.9%
Prinsrivier DamPrins River2,3
100.5%OVF
98.3%43.7%▲ 56.8%
Roodefontein DamPiesang River2
99.7%
100.3%60%▲ 39.7%
Klipberg DamKonings River2
90.7%
91.2%54.4%▲ 36.3%
Pietersfontein DamPietersfontein River2
100.5%OVF
100.7%79.6%▲ 20.9%
Gamka DamGamka River1,8
100.3%OVF
101%48.7%▲ 51.6%
Miertjieskraal DamBrand River1,5
100%
100.5%74.2%▲ 25.8%
Ernest Robertson DamGroot Brak River0,5
101%OVF
100%100.5%▲ 0.5%
Tierkloof DamTrib. — Seweweekspoort River0,1
100%
100%99.6%▲ 0.4%

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.