Dam · Free State · South Africa · DWS
Vaal Dam
107.4% full
Total capacity
2,561 hm³
River
Vaal
Basin
Vaal-Orange
Primary use
water supply
Operator
DWS
Coordinates
26.920°S, 28.180°E
Last updated
2026-10-19
Current fill
107.4%vs 7 days ago
-0.8 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
+5.1 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
→stable
Drought context
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Moderately wet
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Vaal 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 +1.36). 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°S, 28.180°E · Open in Google Maps
About Vaal Dam
As of October 19, 2026, Vaal Dam is filled to 107.4% of its total capacity, holding 2,751 hm³ of water out of a maximum 2,561 hm³. At this level the reservoir is effectively full.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has held broadly steady (-0.8 pp), and it is 5.1 points above its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Vaal Dam — 20 data points between October 19, 2025 and October 19, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 95.4% (October 5, 2026) to a high of 108.2% (October 12, 2026). On average the reservoir is fullest around May and at its lowest around August.
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-Orange basin at 26.920°S, 28.180°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 107.4% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 2,751 hm³
- Total capacity
- 2,561 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 0.8 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▲ 5.1 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Vaal
- River basin
- Vaal-Orange
- Dam height
- 54 m
- Year completed
- 1938
- Operator
- DWS
- Coordinates
- 26.920°S, 28.180°E
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | 107.4% | 2,751 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 108.2% | 2,771 |
| 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 |
Nearby reservoirs
See also: South Africa dam levels, explained — how the DWS Weekly State of Dams report becomes the national and provincial figures.