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: 15 days short of water for Meadowlands Reservoir, from 189 days with a report; 6 days for Orlando East Reservoir, from 189. 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 Orlando's 2 supplies short of water on 17 days
3 March 2025 to 29 September 2026, from 566 days with a JW report.
Orlando East Reservoir
In 2026 so far: 6 days short of water, from 189 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun0
Jul0
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun0
Jul6
Aug0
Sep0
Meadowlands Reservoir
In 2026 so far: 15 days short of water, from 189 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul0
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb1
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul6
Aug4
Sep3
water as normal
supplying fairly
JW warned
low, or weak in places
short of water
critically low
shut for the night
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 Orlando's 2 supplies short of water on 17 days”. Data release 2026-09-29-318d9dca. https://watersearch.co.za/suburb/orlando#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
Orlando East Reservoir
March 2025
18
29
18
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
April 2025
12
30
12
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
May 2025
13
31
13
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
June 2025
26
30
26
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
July 2025
24
31
24
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
February 2026
7
28
7
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
March 2026
20
31
20
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
April 2026
30
30
30
0
0
0
0
0
Orlando East Reservoir
May 2026
31
31
29
1
0
0
0
1
Orlando East Reservoir
June 2026
30
30
27
2
0
0
0
1
Orlando East Reservoir
July 2026
31
31
19
5
0
0
6
1
Orlando East Reservoir
August 2026
20
31
18
0
0
0
0
2
Orlando East Reservoir
September 2026
20
29
20
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
March 2025
18
29
18
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
April 2025
12
30
12
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
May 2025
13
31
13
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
June 2025
28
30
25
2
0
1
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
July 2025
24
31
23
1
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
February 2026
7
28
1
5
0
1
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
March 2026
20
31
0
20
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
April 2026
30
30
17
12
0
0
0
1
Meadowlands Reservoir
May 2026
31
31
29
2
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
June 2026
30
30
24
4
0
1
0
1
Meadowlands Reservoir
July 2026
31
31
21
4
0
2
4
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
August 2026
20
31
15
0
0
4
0
1
Meadowlands Reservoir
September 2026
20
29
17
0
0
3
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. Meadowlands Reservoir and Orlando East Reservoir were supplying fairly or better. This year Meadowlands Reservoir was short of water on 15 of the 189 days JW reported it. A typical reservoir or tower in the city had 4 such days. On Meadowlands Reservoir, half of its last 10 outages were over within 9 hours; the longest since March 2025 lasted 39 hours. No JW notice we have read names Meadowlands Reservoir. None of the 5 passed end dates on its page was met.
Latest JW report
Meadowlands Reservoir, 29 September 2026: supplying fairly at 13:20 (JW: “Supplying fairly”), then closed overnight on purpose at 20:15 (JW: “Outlet closed as part of Water Demand Management”).
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 17 outages on Orlando's supplies since March 2025. The longest lasted 3.7 days. Every outage, with how long it lasted: Meadowlands Reservoir and Orlando East Reservoir.
JW's end dates
JW posted 5 notices with an end date that list a suburb or system Orlando'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 6 end times that have passed. Each end date against what happened: Meadowlands Reservoir and Orlando East Reservoir.
Under strain
In 2026 so far, Orlando had 25 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. Orlando 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.