Dam · Eastern Cape · South Africa · DWS
Bridle Drift Dam
102.4% full
Total capacity
98 hm³
River
Buffalo River
Basin
Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS South Africa
Coordinates
32.989°S, 27.731°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
102.4%vs 7 days ago
-1.5 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
+9.8 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
↓falling
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Very wet
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Bridle Drift Dam had much more rain than normal, seen about one year in fifteen. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index +1.60). Rain, not storage. South Africa drought figures →
Weekly storage
Fill history — multi-year
About this dam
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. 32.989°S, 27.731°E · Open in Google Maps
About Bridle Drift Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Bridle Drift Dam is filled to 102.4% of its total capacity, holding 100.4 hm³ of water out of a maximum 98 hm³. At this level the reservoir is effectively full.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has fallen by 1.5 percentage points, and it is 9.8 points above its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Bridle Drift Dam — 20 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 80.1% (June 3, 2026) to a high of 109.8% (September 21, 2026). On average the reservoir is fullest around September and at its lowest around May.
It is operated by DWS South Africa primarily for water supply. It lies within the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma basin at 32.989°S, 27.731°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 102.4% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 100.4 hm³
- Total capacity
- 98 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 1.5 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▲ 9.8 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Buffalo River
- River basin
- Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma
- Operator
- DWS South Africa
- Coordinates
- 32.989°S, 27.731°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 102.4% | 100.4 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 103.9% | 101.8 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 106.2% | 104.1 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 107.8% | 105.6 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 109.8% | 107.6 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 94.3% | 92.3 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 94.8% | 92.8 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 95.1% | 93.1 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 91.5% | 89.6 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 91.1% | 89.2 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 85.4% | 83.6 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 81.1% | 79.4 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.