Cape Town dam levels: Totals plunge below the two-thirds-full mark

The Cape Town dam levels have depleted once again this week, as the onslaught of summer continues to take its toll. With the rainy season still more than two months away, it’s looking like an uphill battle to keep the facilities “half-full” before winter sets in.

Latest Cape Town dam levels

Overall, the picture isn’t terrible. But 1.8% has been shaved off the combined totals for the major dams servicing Cape Town. Altogether, they stand at 65.9% full – dropping below the two-thirds full mark for the first time since Spring 2019.

All six major facilities endured personal loss, including Theewaterskloof, which is 1.1% lighter than it was last week. A total of 13.5 million litres of water has been sapped from the resevoirs. Worryingly, consumption levels have also increased again, with 755 million litres of water being used per day in the city. That’s a whopping 105 litres above the daily usage target.

Weather set for a turn

It’s not all bad news, though: Only one major dam is less full than it was in February 2019 (Voëlvlei, just outside of Tulbagh) and even that’s by a thin margin. Theewaterskloof is almost 18% better off, and the combined Cape Town dams vs this time last year has improved by 11%.

However, testing weather conditions threaten to harm the Cape Town dam levels this week

The mercury has soared since the start of the weekend, and the winds have also picked up. The dangerous conditions have caught the eyes of the SA Weather Service (SAWS) who have issued a group of weather warnings and advisories for the metro, and wider regions of the Western Cape for the week ahead.

• Damaging winds are forecast from Saldanha Bay down to Still Bay.
• Strong to gale force SE winds (up to 65km/h) are expected between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas.
• Veld fires are expected over the West Coast District interior, the Cape Winelands, and the Central Karoo.

Cape Town dam levels for Monday 24 February

Major dams	24/2/2020	Previous week	% 2019
Berg River	78.5	80.5	76.0
Steenbras Lower	70.4	72.7	53.7
Steenbras Upper	98.6	98.8	70.0
Theewaterskloof	60.4	61.5	42.5
Voëlvlei	65.3	67.4	68.4
Wemmershoek	65.3	67.4	63.5
Total Stored Ml	592 346	605 819	492 762
% Storage	65.9	67.4	54.9