Dam · Eastern Cape · South Africa · DWS
Bridle Drift Dam
106.2% full
Total capacity
98 Mm³
River
Buffalo River
Basin
Unknown
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS South Africa
Coordinates
-32.989°S, 27.731°E
Last updated
2026-10-05
Current fill
106.2%vs 7 days ago
-1.6%losing
vs 1 year ago
N/A7-day trend
↓falling
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, 27.731 · Open in Google Maps
About Bridle Drift Dam
As of October 5, 2026, Bridle Drift Dam is filled to 106.2% of its total capacity, holding roughly 104 Mm³ of water out of a maximum 98 Mm³. At this level the reservoir is effectively full.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has fallen by 1.6 percentage points.
Across the readings we hold for Bridle Drift Dam — 17 data points between May 31, 2026 and October 5, 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 Unknown basin at 32.989°S, 27.731°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 106.2%
- Water stored
- 104 Mm³
- Total capacity
- 98 Mm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 1.6 pts
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Buffalo River
- River basin
- Unknown
- Operator
- DWS South Africa
- Coordinates
- 32.989°S, 27.731°E
- Last updated
- October 5, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (Mm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 2026 | 106.2% | 104 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 107.8% | 106 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 109.8% | 108 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 94.3% | 92 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 94.8% | 93 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 95.1% | 93 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 91.5% | 90 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 91.1% | 89 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 85.4% | 84 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 81.1% | 79 |
| 22 Jun 2026 | 88.6% | 87 |
| 16 Jun 2026 | 89.3% | 88 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.