The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) notes the public concerns regarding current water levels at Kouga Dam, which are at approximately 120,6% of storage capacity following recent high inflows.
As at the morning of 7 May 2026, peak outflows at Kouga Dam are estimated at 2 491 cubic metres per second (m³/s), equivalent to a 1 in 50-year (2% probability) flood event. These outflows are well within the dam’s design and operational capacity. Kouga Dam is a 72-metre-high double-curvature concrete arch dam equipped with an uncontrolled spillway and two radial gates. The spillway is able to discharge more than 6 100 m3/s of water before overtopping the non-overspill crest, which is more than double the current outflow. The reservoir provides flood attenuation, allowing large volumes of inflow to be temporarily stored, thereby reducing downstream flood peaks. The Department confirms that Kouga Dam is performing exactly as designed and remains structurally safe. Even in the unlikely event of overtopping, the integrity of the dam would not be compromised.
At present, the radial gates are not being operated as a precautionary measure due to the presence of Alkali–Aggregate Reaction (AAR) in the concrete (i.e swelling of the concrete). Operating the gates under these conditions may create challenges in safely closing them, potentially resulting in permanent loss of storage capacity. The uncontrolled spillway is adequate to safely pass current and anticipated flows, making gate operation unnecessary, which is about 15% of the overall discharge capacity.
