Does snow actually matter for Cape Town’s dams?

Snow looks dramatic on the mountains above Cape Town, but rain does most of the real work filling the dams: Image PexelsWith fresh snowfall forecast for parts of the Western Cape this weekend, many Capetonians are asking the same question: Does snow on the mountains help fill the city’s dams? While snow eventually melts and contributes some runoff, it’s rainfall rather than snowfall that does the heavy lifting when it comes to replenishing Cape Town’s water supply. ADVERTISEMENTRain is the real source of Cape Town’s waterCape Town’s drinking water comes from six major dams that make up the Western Cape Water Supply System, with Theewaterskloof Dam accounting for more than half of the network’s total storage capacity. Although parts of the Western Cape experienced an early snowfall this winter, snow alone has little impact on overall dam levels. Did you know snow played such a small part in Cape Town’s water supply?