Dam Levels
How full the dams that water Stellenbosch are — the town's Idas Valley dams and the shared Western Cape system, with the dates of every figure.
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How full the dams that water Stellenbosch are — the town's Idas Valley dams and the shared Western Cape system, with the dates of every figure.
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Two sets of dams water Stellenbosch: the town's own two Idas Valley dams in the mountains above Idas Valley, and the big shared Western Cape Water Supply System dams the municipality buys most of its water from. The municipality publishes Idas Valley figures only as occasional notices; the shared dams are reported weekly.
78%
Cape Town water supply system (the six shared dams)
Newest figures from 13 July 2026 (2 weeks ago) — Department of Water and Sanitation weekly state of dams, week of 13 July 2026; Idas Valley from Stellenbosch Municipality via Eikestadnuus, 7 April 2026
Idas Valley dams (upper and lower)
30% full
as of 7 April 2026 · The town's own dams — about a quarter of supply, and the reason Level 2 restrictions were declared. This is the municipality's last published figure, from before the winter rains; newer figures appear only in municipal notices.
Theewaterskloof
78% full
as of 13 July 2026 · The biggest dam in the shared system — it holds more than half of the system's storage.
Berg River
88% full
as of 13 July 2026
Voëlvlei
62% full
as of 13 July 2026
Wemmershoek
100% full
as of 13 July 2026 · Effectively full — at spilling point.
Steenbras Upper
102% full
as of 13 July 2026 · Spilling — reported above capacity.
Steenbras Lower
55% full
as of 13 July 2026
These are the published figures on their dates — transcribed, not live readings. Newer notices may exist.
The dams fill June–August and are drawn down through the hot, dry summer. A poor 2025 winter left Idas Valley around 30% by autumn and brought Level 2 restrictions from 1 March 2026; the 2026 winter rains have since lifted the shared system to about 78% — ahead of the same week last year.
Full shared dams do not automatically end Stellenbosch's restrictions. The town's own Idas Valley dams and treatment capacity matter too — during the low period the municipality redirected Idas Valley water to the Paradyskloof works and brought boreholes online — and restrictions are lifted by council decision, not by a percentage. The last published Idas Valley figure predates the winter rains, so treat it as a floor, not today's reading.
Boreholes and springs
The remainder of supply after the shared system (~69%) and Idas Valley (~25%). The municipality added boreholes during the 2026 restriction round, including augmentation at Kleinplasie.
The national authority's weekly figures, updated each Monday.
The City's weekly PDF for the shared supply system.
Where the municipality posts Idas Valley figures and restriction notices.
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