Dam · Western Cape · South Africa · DWS
Bulshoek Dam
62.9% full
Total capacity
4.81 hm³
River
Olifants River
Basin
Breede-Olifants
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS South Africa
Coordinates
31.996°S, 18.787°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
62.9%vs 7 days ago
-17.9 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
-13.8 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
↓falling
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Near normal
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Bulshoek Dam had rain close to 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 −0.57). 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. 31.996°S, 18.787°E · Open in Google Maps
About Bulshoek Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Bulshoek Dam is filled to 62.9% of its total capacity, holding 3 hm³ of water out of a maximum 4.81 hm³. At this level the reservoir is within its normal operating range.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has fallen by 17.9 percentage points, and it is 13.8 points below its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Bulshoek Dam — 20 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 46.6% (June 3, 2026) to a high of 98.1% (October 5, 2026). On average the reservoir is fullest around September and at its lowest around June.
It is operated by DWS South Africa primarily for water supply. It lies within the Breede-Olifants basin at 31.996°S, 18.787°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 62.9% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 3 hm³
- Total capacity
- 4.81 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 17.9 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▼ 13.8 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Olifants River
- River basin
- Breede-Olifants
- Operator
- DWS South Africa
- Coordinates
- 31.996°S, 18.787°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 62.9% | 3 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 80.8% | 3.9 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 98.1% | 4.7 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 97.4% | 4.7 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 93.0% | 4.5 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 90.1% | 4.3 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 93.0% | 4.5 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 92.2% | 4.4 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 95.5% | 4.6 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 90.1% | 4.3 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 91.9% | 4.4 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 89.4% | 4.3 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.