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: 13 days short of water for Crown Gardens Tower, from 185 days with a report; 1 day for Forest Hill Tower, 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 Gillview's 2 supplies short of water on 13 days
3 March 2025 to 29 September 2026, from 518 days with a JW report.
Forest Hill Tower
In 2026 so far: 1 day short of water, from 185 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May1
Jun1
Jul2
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun0
Jul1
Aug0
Sep0
Crown Gardens Tower
In 2026 so far: 13 days short of water, from 185 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
MarNo JW boards, Mar to May
Jun0
Jul2
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb1
Mar3
Apr0
May2
Jun2
Jul5
Aug0
Sep0
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 Gillview's 2 supplies short of water on 13 days”. Data release 2026-09-29-318d9dca. https://watersearch.co.za/suburb/gillview#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
Forest Hill Tower
March 2025
18
29
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
April 2025
13
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
May 2025
13
31
2
0
0
1
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
June 2025
28
30
27
0
0
0
1
0
Forest Hill Tower
July 2025
24
31
18
4
0
2
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
February 2026
6
28
6
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
March 2026
20
31
20
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
April 2026
29
30
29
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
May 2026
30
31
29
1
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
June 2026
29
30
11
18
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
July 2026
29
31
10
18
0
0
1
0
Forest Hill Tower
August 2026
22
31
22
0
0
0
0
0
Forest Hill Tower
September 2026
20
29
11
9
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
March 2025
0
29
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
April 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
May 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
June 2025
28
30
28
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
July 2025
24
31
22
0
0
2
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
February 2026
6
28
5
0
0
1
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
March 2026
20
31
17
0
0
0
3
0
Crown Gardens Tower
April 2026
29
30
27
2
0
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
May 2026
30
31
27
0
0
0
2
1
Crown Gardens Tower
June 2026
29
30
26
1
0
1
1
0
Crown Gardens Tower
July 2026
29
31
24
0
0
1
4
0
Crown Gardens Tower
August 2026
22
31
21
0
1
0
0
0
Crown Gardens Tower
September 2026
20
29
19
1
0
0
0
0
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. Crown Gardens Tower and Forest Hill Tower were supplying fairly. This year Crown Gardens Tower was short of water on 13 of the 185 days JW reported it. A typical reservoir or tower in the city had 4 such days. On Crown Gardens Tower, half of its last 8 outages were over within 30 hours; the longest since March 2025 lasted 3.8 days. No JW notice we have read names Crown Gardens Tower.
“On bypass” is JW's term. When JW repaired Hursthill 2 Reservoir from December 2025, it put the reservoir on bypass so that teams could work safely inside, and customers still received water; the news reports said this could bring periods of low pressure or no water (EWN ↗, The Citizen ↗). A reservoir or tower on bypass does not count as back when this page checks JW's end dates.
On JW's list of towers, June 2024, as Gillview, Gillview Ext.1. Source 1 ↗
Outages
JW reported 12 outages on Gillview's supplies since March 2025. The longest lasted 3.8 days. Every outage, with how long it lasted: Crown Gardens Tower and Forest Hill Tower.
JW's end dates
No JW notice we have read stated an end time for these supplies. Each end date against what happened: Crown Gardens Tower and Forest Hill Tower.
Under strain
In 2026 so far, Gillview had 17 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. Gillview 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.