Use less water as severe weather impacts water treatment operations
16 May 2026
The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is calling on residents and businesses across Cape Town to reduce water consumption to essential use only as severe weather conditions have impacted major water treatment operations and placed pressure on the bulk water supply system. Tap water remains safe to drink, however, as a precaution, the City advises that if it is discoloured, it should be boiled and reported to the City.
Recent storms have caused raw water quality, particularly from the Wemmershoek and Theewaterskloof Dams, to significantly deteriorate. The current highly elevated turbidity and colour levels have reduced the normal production of drinking water at the City’s Wemmershoek and Blackheath water treatment plants.
Heavy rainfall in mountainous catchment areas has resulted in mud and debris being washed into the dams feeding these treatment plants. While the affected treatment plants are operating, production volumes have been reduced while teams work to maintain water quality standards.
Further operational constraints were experienced at the Voëlvlei Water Treatment Plant, where technical faults over the past two days also impacted water production which has reduced the total volume of drinking water in bulk storage reservoirs.
To help stabilise storage levels and improve treatment efficiency, the Directorate will optimise its treatment processes, including increasing chlorine dosing where required to address the elevated turbidity levels and support increased production capacity. The Directorate will also intensify monitoring and sampling throughout the water supply network to ensure treated drinking water continues to comply with the required SANS 241 drinking water quality standards.
Where residents notice discoloured water, they are advised to report it to the City and, as a precautionary measure, boil the water before use. The City’s Water Pollution Control inspectors will investigate and take the necessary samples for testing.
‘The recent severe weather has had a direct impact on several key components of the City’s bulk water system. While teams are working around the clock to stabilise operations and recover reservoir levels, it is critical that we work together to maintain stable levels across the water supply network. Residents and businesses can assist significantly during this period by reducing water use to essential consumption only while the system remains under pressure’, said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien.
Advice to residents
Residents and businesses are encouraged to:
- Reduce water consumption to essential use only while the system remains under pressure.
- Avoid non-essential water use such as irrigation, topping up swimming pools and excessive outdoor cleaning.
- Use water sparingly to help maintain stable water supply across the network.
- Report discoloured water to the City on one of the channels below and boil the discoloured water as a precaution.
The City thanks residents and businesses for their cooperation and support while operational teams continue to manage the temporary impacts of the recent severe weather conditions on the water treatment system.
Caption 1: Raw water intake at Wemmershoek Dam showing the elevated turbidity levels entering the system and impacting treatment processes
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
