Major rise in Western Cape dam levels after good rainfall

Steady rains driven by at least two cold fronts which enveloped the Western Cape in the past few weeks has resulted in a major increase in dam levels in the province, with the Clanwilliam Dam near the West Coast alone rising by over 20% in only a week.

Good rainfall saw the Clanwilliam Dam rise to 71.6%, up by 24.3%, while the Theewaterskloof, the Western Cape’s biggest dam, increased by 8.6% from last week to reach 61.7%.

Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said the latest average level for dams across the province is 56.6%.

A year ago, it stood at 50.5%.

The City of Cape Town’s dams stood at 56.4% in 2018, but is currently on 72% full.

“Four of the five major catchment areas now see dam levels in excess of 50% full. The ongoing problem area is the Gouritz River catchment area which feeds a big part of the interior Karoo region. We remain concerned regarding the ongoing drought challenge particularly to the agriculture sector in this region,” Bredell said in a statement this week.

The Gouritz River catchment is currently on 23.89%, up from last week’s 23.76.

Last year, it stood at a lowly 19.37%

The other two major dams are the Voëlvlei and Bergriver dams.

The Voëlvlei is currently 74.4% full. Last week it stood at 69.1% and in 2018, 58.8%.

The Bergriver Dam is 100% full this week, compared to 92.7% full last week and 86% a year ago.

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