Your street may differ: each report covers a reservoir or tower and the area it feeds, and higher streets lose water first. What JW's words mean
Day by day
In 2026 so far: 16 days short of water for Berea Reservoir, from 185 days with a report; 11 days for Yeoville Reservoir, from 185. A typical supply in the city, the median one (half had fewer), had 4 days.
Each square is a day, as JW reported it for a supply: a reservoir or tower that JW reports on. The number at the right is the month's days short of water.
In 2026 so far, JW reported at least one of Bertrams's 2 supplies short of water on 23 days
3 March 2025 to 29 September 2026, from 553 days with a JW report.
Yeoville Reservoir
In 2026 so far: 11 days short of water, from 185 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May1
Jun0
Jul5
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May2
Jun2
Jul4
Aug1
Sep2
Berea Reservoir
In 2026 so far: 16 days short of water, from 185 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May3
Jun4
Jul5
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb3
Mar3
Apr0
May0
Jun3
Jul2
Aug2
Sep3
water as normal
supplying fairly
JW warned
low, or weak in places
short of water
critically low
shut for the night
not on the scale
no JW report
still filling in
JW's reported status of the reservoir or tower, not measured water at taps. Boards from March 2025.
Source: Johannesburg Water's System Update boards and notices, read by us. How this record is made.
Cite this figure
watersearch (2026). “In 2026 so far, JW reported at least one of Bertrams's 2 supplies short of water on 23 days”. Data release 2026-09-29-318d9dca. https://watersearch.co.za/suburb/bertrams#fig-year
The data as a table
Supply
Month
Days reported
Days in record
Adequate or fair
Poor pressure in places, or low
Warning: no water may occur
Poor pressure to no water
Critically low
Overnight closure
Yeoville Reservoir
March 2025
18
29
18
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
April 2025
13
30
13
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
May 2025
13
31
12
0
0
1
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
June 2025
20
30
20
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
July 2025
23
31
17
1
0
5
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
February 2026
6
28
6
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
March 2026
20
31
20
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
April 2026
29
30
29
0
0
0
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
May 2026
30
31
26
2
0
0
2
0
Yeoville Reservoir
June 2026
29
30
26
1
0
2
0
0
Yeoville Reservoir
July 2026
29
31
20
3
1
1
3
1
Yeoville Reservoir
August 2026
22
31
18
3
0
0
1
0
Yeoville Reservoir
September 2026
20
29
18
0
0
1
1
0
Berea Reservoir
March 2025
18
29
18
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
April 2025
13
30
7
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
May 2025
13
31
0
0
0
3
0
0
Berea Reservoir
June 2025
28
30
21
3
0
0
4
0
Berea Reservoir
July 2025
24
31
19
0
0
1
4
0
Berea Reservoir
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
February 2026
6
28
1
1
0
0
3
1
Berea Reservoir
March 2026
20
31
15
2
0
0
3
0
Berea Reservoir
April 2026
29
30
27
0
0
0
0
2
Berea Reservoir
May 2026
30
31
30
0
0
0
0
0
Berea Reservoir
June 2026
29
30
26
0
0
3
0
0
Berea Reservoir
July 2026
29
31
18
9
0
0
2
0
Berea Reservoir
August 2026
22
31
8
11
0
0
2
1
Berea Reservoir
September 2026
20
29
9
7
0
3
0
1
A day counts as short of water when JW's worst report for it that day was “poor pressure to no water” or “critically low”, as happening or expected (expected most often means higher streets). A warning that it may occur does not count.
In short
The latest JW report on this site is from 29 September 2026; the site last read JW's website on 1 October. Berea Reservoir and Yeoville Reservoir were supplying fairly. This year Berea Reservoir was short of water on 16 of the 185 days JW reported it. A typical reservoir or tower in the city had 4 such days. On Berea Reservoir, half of its last 10 outages were over within 16 hours; the longest since March 2025 lasted at least 7 days. JW has posted no notice with an end date for Berea Reservoir this year. Its last was for work that started in April 2025. None of the 7 passed end dates on its page was met.
Berea Reservoir, 29 September 2026: supplying fairly at 13:10 (JW: “Supplying fairly”), then closed overnight on purpose at 20:30 (JW: “Outlet closed overnight to build capacity”).
JW put it on its website 1 October 2026 at 13:40. JW's page for this board ↗ · JW's image of the board ↗
JW reported 28 outages on Bertrams's supplies since March 2025. The longest lasted at least 7 days. Every outage, with how long it lasted: Berea Reservoir and Yeoville Reservoir.
JW's end dates
JW posted 28 notices with an end date that list a suburb or system Bertrams's supplies feed. Most name only suburbs, not the reservoir or tower, so the summary at the top uses only a notice that names the supply itself. By the stated time JW's boards showed the water back on none of the 31 end times that have passed. Each end date against what happened: Berea Reservoir and Yeoville Reservoir.
Under strain
In 2026 so far, Bertrams had 52 days under strain: days when JW reported any of its supplies low or worse, or warned that higher-lying areas may lose water. This is a wider count than days short of water.
The network is linked. Bertrams draws on all its supplies at once, and when one runs low the others carry more. At such times JW's boards sometimes warn of “poor pressure to no water in higher-lying areas”: under strain, higher streets lose water first. JW does not say which streets those are.
What JW's boards cannot tell you
JW's boards report reservoirs and towers, so some things are not in this record:
Whether water reaches your street or your tap.
Which streets lose water first: JW warns of higher-lying areas but does not name the streets.
Why a supply ran low, unless a JW notice gives a reason.
Pipe bursts, tankers and valve work, which are not on the boards.