Capacity share
3.8%
A smaller dam, but every percentage point still counts during tight supply.
Individual dam profile
Steenbras Lower
Steenbras Lower is currently at 46.2%, holding 15.7 of its 33.9 gigalitres of capacity. That is 51.4% below the same week last year (97.6%). Against the same-week long-run average, it sits 43.4% below. Relative to 2017's drought benchmark week, it is 1.3% higher.
46.2% full · Updated 14 Sept 2026 15.7 / 33.9 GL
Role in the system
Steenbras Lower makes up 3.8% of total system capacity but currently holds only 2.4% of the stored water — it's emptier than the system as a whole.
Share of stored water
2.4%
Roughly in line with its share of total capacity.
Location
Hottentots-Holland mountains above Gordon's Bay.
Steenbras Lower in the Western Cape supply system
Big Six dams shown; Steenbras Lower highlighted.
Outer ring = total capacity · Filled area = current level
Background and reference facts
Steenbras Lower is one of Cape Town's foundational 20th-century dams, part of the original Steenbras scheme that brought mountain water into the city through tunnels and pipelines.
Foundational infrastructure
Part of Cape Town's early bulk-water era
The original Steenbras scheme predates most other dams in the current system and shows how long Cape Town has relied on mountain transfer infrastructure.
Sources: Wikipedia
Upgrade cycle
Raised in 1928
Just a few years after completion, demand growth forced another enlargement — a recurring theme in the city's water history.
Sources: Wikipedia
Engineering character
Tunnel-and-pipeline scheme
The historic scheme connected the dam to the city through a mountain tunnel and a long cast-iron pipeline, making it more than a standalone reservoir.
Sources: Wikipedia
Storage trend and same-week benchmarks
Steenbras Lower is tracking below the long-run average for this time of year. It sits 51.4% below the same week last year.
Weekly trend (last 2 years)
Currently 40.3% below the same week last year and 26.3% below the long-run average.
Same-week comparison by year
At 53.6%, this week sits 8.7% above the 2017 drought benchmark.
Recent weekly readings
| Date | Level | Storage | Weekly change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 2026 | 53.6% | 18.0 GL | -0.6 |
| 03 Aug 2026 | 53.9% | 18.1 GL | -1.8 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 55.7% | 18.7 GL | -0.7 |
| 20 Jul 2026 | 56.4% | 18.9 GL | +0.3 |
| 13 Jul 2026 | 56.1% | 18.8 GL | +1.9 |
| 06 Jul 2026 | 54.2% | 18.2 GL | +5.3 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | 48.9% | 16.4 GL | -0.7 |
| 22 Jun 2026 | 49.6% | 16.6 GL | -0.7 |
| 15 Jun 2026 | 50.3% | 16.9 GL | +0.8 |
| 08 Jun 2026 | 49.5% | 16.6 GL | -2.9 |
| 01 Jun 2026 | 52.4% | 17.6 GL | -0.6 |
| 25 May 2026 | 53.0% | 17.8 GL | -1.7 |