Theewaterskloof dam, August 2020 – Photo: Twitter
Theewaterskloof dam, August 2020 – Photo: Twitter
After a rainy weekend and a magnificent winter, the good news keeps on flowing for the Cape Town dam levels. They’ve increased by another 1.3% this week – but can we say the reserves are officially 100% full yet?
Not quite. But it couldn’t be much closer. The Cape Town dam levels combined stand at an impressive 99.5%. After the lean summer months and the threat of day zero, residents of the south-west are living in what seems to a dream world here. Despite everything else 2020 has thrown at the Western Cape, this year has been extremely kind to the dams.
The 100% mark – for both Cape Town in general and Theewaterskloof – could be breached within the next 24-48 hours.
Two dams are more than 100% full, whereas Theewaterskloof is dangerously close to tipping its overall capacity. No local facility is less than 98.4% full, which is an incredible feat with all things considered. In total, the Cape Town dam levels are 13.6% better off than they were at this point last year.
These record-setting figures are certainly proving to be a sight for sore Capetonian eyes. Forced to endure droughts, water restrictions, and two-minute showers since 2017, this latest news will be a huge sigh of relief for locals. However, Cape Town remains vulnerable to water scarcity, even in good times such as these. Conservation is the new normal…
Major dams | 28/9/2020 | Previous week | % 2019 |
---|---|---|---|
Berg River | 100.6 | 100.3 | 99.4 |
Steenbras Lower | 101.7 | 101.0 | 98.1 |
Steenbras Upper | 98.5 | 99.4 | 86.8 |
Theewaterskloof | 99.6 | 98.1 | 72.1 |
Voëlvlei | 98.4 | 96.7 | 88.7 |
Wemmershoek | 98.4 | 96.8 | 92.0 |
Total Stored Ml | 893 516 | 882 411 | 735 254 |
% Storage | 99.5 | 98.2 | 81.9 |