Dam · Free State · South Africa · DWS
Bloemhof Dam
96.7% full
Total capacity
1,243 hm³
River
Vaal
Basin
Vaal-Orange
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS
Coordinates
27.633°S, 25.617°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
96.7%vs 7 days ago
-1.7 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
+0.3 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
↓falling
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Moderately wet
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Bloemhof Dam had more rain than normal for the season. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index +1.16). Rain, not storage. South Africa drought figures →
Weekly storage
Fill history — multi-year
About this dam
Dam height
33 m
Year built
1970
Dam type
Gravity
Data source
official
Storage data: Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Weekly State of Dams report, South Africa.
Catchment Weather
Past 30 days + 14-day forecast · Open-Meteo
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics. Map: Esri, HERE, Garmin, © OpenStreetMap contributors. 27.633°S, 25.617°E · Open in Google Maps
About Bloemhof Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Bloemhof Dam is filled to 96.7% of its total capacity, holding 1,202 hm³ of water out of a maximum 1,243 hm³. At this level the reservoir is high.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has fallen by 1.7 percentage points, and it sits close to where it was a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Bloemhof Dam — 20 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 96.4% (October 19, 2025) to a high of 109.8% (August 24, 2026). On average the reservoir is fullest around September and at its lowest around October.
The dam at Bloemhof Dam stands 33 m tall and is a gravity dam and was completed in 1970. It is operated by DWS primarily for water supply. It lies within the Vaal-Orange basin at 27.633°S, 25.617°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 96.7% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 1,202 hm³
- Total capacity
- 1,243 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 1.7 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▲ 0.3 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Vaal
- River basin
- Vaal-Orange
- Dam height
- 33 m
- Year completed
- 1970
- Operator
- DWS
- Coordinates
- 27.633°S, 25.617°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 96.7% | 1,202 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 98.4% | 1,223 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 99.9% | 1,242 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 109.0% | 1,355 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 109.0% | 1,355 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 109.6% | 1,362 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 109.8% | 1,365 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 108.0% | 1,342 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 106.4% | 1,323 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 106.4% | 1,323 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 106.8% | 1,327 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 104.5% | 1,299 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.