Dam · Free State · South Africa · DWS
Gariep Dam
99.5% full
Total capacity
4,904 hm³
River
Orange
Basin
Vaal-Orange
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS
Coordinates
30.544°S, 25.530°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
99.5%vs 7 days ago
-1.3 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
+4.3 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 Gariep 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 +1.35). Rain, not storage. South Africa drought figures →
Weekly storage
Fill history — multi-year
About this dam
Dam height
88 m
Year built
1972
Dam type
Arch-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. 30.544°S, 25.530°E · Open in Google Maps
About Gariep Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Gariep Dam is filled to 99.5% of its total capacity, holding 4,879 hm³ of water out of a maximum 4,904 hm³. At this level the reservoir is high.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has fallen by 1.3 percentage points, and it is 4.3 points above its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Gariep Dam — 20 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 95.2% (October 19, 2025) to a high of 109.3% (September 28, 2026). On average the reservoir is fullest around September and at its lowest around July.
The dam at Gariep Dam stands 88 m tall and is a arch-gravity dam and was completed in 1972. It is operated by DWS primarily for water supply. It lies within the Vaal-Orange basin at 30.544°S, 25.530°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 99.5% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 4,879 hm³
- Total capacity
- 4,904 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 1.3 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▲ 4.3 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Orange
- River basin
- Vaal-Orange
- Dam height
- 88 m
- Year completed
- 1972
- Operator
- DWS
- Coordinates
- 30.544°S, 25.530°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 99.5% | 4,879 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 100.8% | 4,943 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 107.2% | 5,257 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 109.3% | 5,360 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 101.7% | 4,987 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 99.9% | 4,899 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 99.7% | 4,889 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 99.0% | 4,854 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 99.3% | 4,869 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 99.3% | 4,869 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 99.3% | 4,869 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 98.9% | 4,850 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.