Dam · Western Cape · South Africa · DWS
Steenbras-Upper Dam
100.2% full
Total capacity
31.9 hm³
River
Steenbras River
Basin
Breede-Olifants
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS South Africa
Coordinates
34.168°S, 18.902°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
100.2%vs 7 days ago
+3.7 ppgaining
vs 1 year ago
+0.2 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
↑rising
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Extremely dry
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Steenbras-Upper Dam had extremely little rain for the season, a shortfall seen about one year in forty. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index −2.32). 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. 34.168°S, 18.902°E · Open in Google Maps
About Steenbras-Upper Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Steenbras-Upper Dam is filled to 100.2% of its total capacity, holding 32 hm³ of water out of a maximum 31.9 hm³. At this level the reservoir is effectively full.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has risen by 3.7 percentage points, and it sits close to where it was a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Steenbras-Upper Dam — 21 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 79.7% (May 31, 2026) to a high of 100.2% (July 27, 2026). On average the reservoir is fullest around July and at its lowest around May.
It is operated by DWS South Africa primarily for water supply. It lies within the Breede-Olifants basin at 34.168°S, 18.902°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 100.2% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 32 hm³
- Total capacity
- 31.9 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▲ 3.7 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▲ 0.2 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Steenbras River
- River basin
- Breede-Olifants
- Operator
- DWS South Africa
- Coordinates
- 34.168°S, 18.902°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 100.2% | 32 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 96.5% | 30.8 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 95.5% | 30.5 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 95.9% | 30.6 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 94.9% | 30.3 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 93.0% | 29.6 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 89.8% | 28.6 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 93.0% | 29.6 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 96.8% | 30.8 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 99.1% | 31.5 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 100.2% | 31.9 |
| 6 Jul 2026 | 98.6% | 31.5 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.