Here’s how the Vaal Dams is holding up
· Citizen
Water levels at the Vaal Dam stayed close to 100% for the week of 14 to 18 September 2026, according to hydrological data supplied on behalf of Rand Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Visit saltysenoritaaz.org for more information.
Dam storage held steady near full capacity
The Vaal Dam’s storage level measured 99.75% full on Monday, before easing slightly to 99.62% on Tuesday.
It then settled at 99.49% for the remainder of the week, recorded on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Around the same time last year, the dam stood at 105.5%, and last week it was at 100.0%.
Storage peaked at 99.75% and dipped to a low of 99.49% during the week, for a weekly average of 99.57%.
Inflow and discharge fluctuated across the week
Inflow into the dam varied considerably day to day.
It measured 59.2 cubic metres per second on Monday, dropping to 51.3 on Tuesday and 49.1 on Wednesday, before falling further to 43.9 on Thursday.
Inflow then spiked sharply to 169.9 cubic metres per second on Friday, which also marked the week’s maximum.
The weekly minimum was 43.9, and the average inflow for the week came to 74.7 cubic metres per second.
Discharge from the dam, by contrast, stayed constant at 16.8 cubic metres per second from Monday to Friday, with no sluice gates open on any day this week.
Barrage levels and water temperature stayed mostly stable
At the Vaal Barrage, the water level held at 7.6 metres on Monday and Tuesday before easing to 7.5 metres from Wednesday through Friday.
Barrage discharge fluctuated more noticeably, starting at 30.1 cubic metres per second on Monday and Tuesday, jumping to 44.5 on Wednesday, falling sharply to 15.1 on Thursday, and returning to 30.1 on Friday.
Water temperature at the barrage rose gradually across the week, from 16.8°C on Monday to 16.4°C on Tuesday and Wednesday, before climbing to 17.0°C on Thursday and settling at 16.9°C on Friday.
Vaal Dam weekly data. Image: iStock