Dam · Free State · South Africa · DWS
Vaal Dam
95.4% full
Total capacity
2,561 Mm³
River
Vaal
Basin
Vaal
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS
Coordinates
-26.920°S, 28.180°E
Last updated
2026-10-05
Current fill
95.4%vs 7 days ago
-11.4%losing
vs 1 year ago
N/A7-day trend
↓falling
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 21 September 2026
Extremely wet
In the three months to 21 September 2026 the area around Vaal Dam had exceptionally wet, 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 +2.42). Rain, not storage. South Africa drought figures →
Weekly storage
Fill history — multi-year
About this dam
Dam height
54 m
Year built
1938
Dam type
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. -26.920, 28.180 · Open in Google Maps
About Vaal Dam
As of October 5, 2026, Vaal Dam is filled to 95.4% of its total capacity, holding roughly 2,443 Mm³ of water out of a maximum 2,561 Mm³. At this level the reservoir is high.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has fallen by 11.4 percentage points.
Across the readings we hold for Vaal Dam — 17 data points between May 31, 2026 and October 5, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 95.4% (October 5, 2026) to a high of 107.3% (May 31, 2026). On average the reservoir is fullest around May and at its lowest around October.
The dam at Vaal Dam stands 54 m tall and is a gravity dam and was completed in 1938. It is operated by DWS primarily for water supply. It lies within the Vaal basin at 26.920°S, 28.180°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 95.4%
- Water stored
- 2,443 Mm³
- Total capacity
- 2,561 Mm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 11.4 pts
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Vaal
- River basin
- Vaal
- Dam height
- 54 m
- Year completed
- 1938
- Operator
- DWS
- Coordinates
- 26.920°S, 28.180°E
- Last updated
- October 5, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (Mm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 2026 | 95.4% | 2,443 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 106.8% | 2,735 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 102.3% | 2,620 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 100.6% | 2,576 |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 101.0% | 2,587 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | 101.5% | 2,599 |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 101.0% | 2,587 |
| 3 Aug 2026 | 101.3% | 2,594 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 101.9% | 2,610 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 104.1% | 2,666 |
| 22 Jun 2026 | 104.5% | 2,676 |
| 16 Jun 2026 | 105.2% | 2,694 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.