It’s that time of year again—winter’s knocking, the rain’s rolling in, and the Western Cape is breathing a little easier.

Thanks to steady showers in recent days, dam levels across the province have climbed past the 60% mark, a welcome sign as we inch closer to the winter solstice.

Steady Rise in Major Dams

According to the City of Cape Town’s latest update (shared on Wednesday, 18 June), all six of the province’s major dams—Berg River, Steenbras Lower, Steenbras Upper, Theewaterskloof, Voëlvlei, and Wemmershoek—have shown gains in capacity.

Collectively, these dams are now sitting at 64.7% full, a noticeable bump from 63.8% the week before.

The good news? More rain is still expected, which could push those numbers up even further.

Slightly Lower Than Last Year

While this week’s numbers are an improvement from the week prior, they’re still slightly lower than this time last year, when dam levels were sitting at 66.4%.

But considering how volatile weather patterns have been, many residents are taking this as a win.

The largest dam in the Western Cape, Theewaterskloof, which makes up over half of the region’s storage capacity, is currently at 63.5%.

Voëlvlei, the second biggest, is just behind at 60.5%.

Lessons From ‘Day Zero’

Western Cape residents haven’t forgotten the dry days of 2017–2018, when Day Zero loomed over Cape Town like a dark cloud.

That crisis sparked a massive shift in the way people think about and use water.

Although dams are doing better now, many households continue to practice water-saving habits, from using greywater to timing showers.

It’s become second nature for some—and rightly so.

More Rain on the Horizon

With more showers forecast in the coming days, it looks like dam levels could keep trending upward.

But as always, water conservation remains key.

After all, we’ve seen how quickly things can change when the taps start to run dry.

Do you still stick to water-saving habits, even when the dams are fuller?