Umthombo
Last Johannesburg Water (JW) report: Tue 29 Sep 2026, 20:55. Water from President Park Reservoir.
At 13:00 JW wrote: “Low and supplying, poor pressure to no water is expected in certain parts.”
Then shut for the night. At 20:55 JW wrote: “Outlet closed overnight to build capacity.”
On 7 more days JW printed a warning. A typical reservoir or tower in the city had 4.
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: 35 days short of water for President Park Reservoir, from 189 days with a report. 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 President Park Reservoir short of water on 35 days
3 March 2025 to 29 September 2026, from 283 days with a JW report.
- 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 President Park Reservoir short of water on 35 days”. Data release 2026-09-29-318d9dca. https://watersearch.co.za/suburb/umthombo#fig-year
The data as a table
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2025 | 18 | 29 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 12 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 12 | 31 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June 2025 | 28 | 30 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| July 2025 | 24 | 31 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 7 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 20 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 30 | 30 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 30 | 31 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| June 2026 | 30 | 30 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 31 | 31 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| August 2026 | 21 | 31 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 20 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
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.
Is anyone fixing it?
No JW notice we have read names President Park Reservoir.
In short
The latest JW report on this site is from 29 September 2026; the site last read JW's website on 1 October. That day President Park Reservoir had weak water or none at 13:00 and closed overnight on purpose at 20:55. This year President Park Reservoir was short of water on 35 of the 189 days JW reported it. A typical reservoir or tower in the city had 4 such days. On President Park Reservoir, half of its last 10 outages lasted at least 14 hours; the longest since March 2025 lasted 6 days. No JW notice we have read names President Park Reservoir. None of the 4 passed end dates on its page was met.
Latest JW report
President Park Reservoir, 29 September 2026: weak water or none at 13:00, the worst status in this report (JW: “Low and supplying, poor pressure to no water is expected in certain parts”), then closed overnight on purpose at 20:55 (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 ↗
Also on OurPower ↗.
Where Umthombo gets its water
JW links Umthombo to one supply, President Park Reservoir.
| Supply | System | How JW links it to Umthombo |
|---|---|---|
| President Park Reservoir | Midrand | Listed on JW's pages, as Umthombo Ext.2, Umthombo Ext.29, Umthombo Ext.3, Umthombo Ext.31, Umthombo Ext.4, Umthombo Ext.6. Source 1 ↗ Source 2 ↗ |
Outages
JW reported 22 outages on Umthombo's supply since March 2025. The longest lasted 6 days. Every outage, with how long it lasted: President Park Reservoir.
JW's end dates
JW posted 7 notices with an end date that list a suburb or system Umthombo's supply feeds. 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 4 end times that have passed. Each end date against what happened: President Park Reservoir.
Up the supply chain
Umthombo's supply is in JW's Midrand system.
On 8 June 2026, JW reported President Park Reservoir critically low
Where the water comes from, top to bottom, and what JW reported for each part on 8 June 2026. A suburb draws on every supply listed at once; JW does not say which street each one reaches.
Showing 8 June 2026. Other days: 29 September 2026, 3 September 2026, 11 August 2026, 6 August 2026, 17 July 2026, 8 June 2026, or the last day.
Bulk supply
JW's boards carry no status for Rand Water's stations.
Feeds the Midrand system: stated by JW source ↗System
JW reported 2 of 10 supplies in it short of water.
Fed from Palmiet Pump Station (Rand Water): stated by JW source ↗Supply
JW reported critically low at 14:15, then a scheduled overnight closure at 20:55.
As printed: “14:15 Critically low. Poor pressure to water is expected.”; “20:55 Outlet closed overnight to build capacity.”
In the Midrand system: listed on a JW page source ↗ Supplies Umthombo: listed on JW's pagesSuburb
No JW report for taps. See the supply above: when it is supplying, a tap can still be dry, most often in higher streets.
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). “On 8 June 2026, JW reported President Park Reservoir critically low”. Data release 2026-09-29-318d9dca. https://watersearch.co.za/suburb/umthombo#fig-chain
The data as a table
| Part | What it is | Feeds | How we know | On 8 June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmiet Pump Station (Rand Water) | Rand Water station | the Midrand system | stated by JW | No JW status for it |
| Midrand system | System | JW's system page | 2 of 10 supplies short of water; 0 with no report | |
| President Park Reservoir | Reservoir | Umthombo | JW's page or notice | critically low |
Under strain
In 2026 so far, Umthombo had 55 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. When a supply runs low, the reservoirs and towers around it 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.
Source: JW's System Update boards and notices, read by us. The full list, and how this record is made.