Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Overberg
In 2025, Overberg had 149 km² of open water on average, 125 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 1996 (190 km²); the driest 2017 (94.9 km²).
Open water seen on the ground from space: dams, lakes, rivers wide enough to see, pans, wetlands with open water and flooded fields. Each year, the Landsat satellites look at every 30 m spot many times; where the sky is clear, each look says water or not. The average water area counts each spot for the share of its clear looks that were wet. Permanent water was wet in more than 80% of the clear looks; seasonal water was wet at least once but less often than that.
What it isn’t: not how full a dam is (that is the Department of Water and Sanitation’s weekly level, by volume), not groundwater, not rain, and not water in pipes or tanks. Narrow rivers, water under trees or bridges and anything smaller than about 30 m are missed. A year with few clear looks (cloud, or the early years when fewer satellites flew) is less sure, and 1988 is missing everywhere because Digital Earth Africa does not have it: a missing year is left out, never counted as dry.
2025
- 149 km²Water on average1.2% of the land; 119% of the 1991 to 2020 average (126 km²)
- 125 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 128 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 82%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 1996Wettest, 190 km²797 km² wet at some point
- 2017Driest, 94.9 km²72.7 km² permanent
Among the 37 years in which at least 90% as much of the place was seen as in its best year (4 less well seen years are left out), so a cloudy year cannot pass for a dry one.
Every year since 1984
Show the numbers
| When or what | Figure |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 136 km² on average, 94.4 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 48.2 km² on average, 48.2 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 73.1 km² on average, 70.1 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 75.9 km² on average, 64.9 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 113 km² on average, 66.8 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 132 km² on average, 77.6 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 101 km² on average, 58.3 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 137 km² on average, 90.0 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 150 km² on average, 89.3 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 164 km² on average, 83.2 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 136 km² on average, 87.2 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 190 km² on average, 91.6 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 126 km² on average, 92.5 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 134 km² on average, 97.9 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 128 km² on average, 103 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 121 km² on average, 89.5 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 114 km² on average, 78.8 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 120 km² on average, 97.8 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 115 km² on average, 89.3 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 98.4 km² on average, 74.9 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 132 km² on average, 80.2 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 122 km² on average, 87.1 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 122 km² on average, 81.4 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 138 km² on average, 111 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 127 km² on average, 98.8 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 117 km² on average, 93.4 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 116 km² on average, 84.2 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 123 km² on average, 87.2 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 134 km² on average, 98.1 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 150 km² on average, 119 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 135 km² on average, 100 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 119 km² on average, 90.2 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 94.9 km² on average, 72.7 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 96.2 km² on average, 60.3 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 97.6 km² on average, 75.6 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 109 km² on average, 76.8 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 170 km² on average, 105 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 143 km² on average, 111 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 156 km² on average, 102 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 187 km² on average, 133 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 149 km² on average, 125 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 149 km² | 125 km² | 128 km² | 254 km² | 82% |
| 2024 | 187 km² | 133 km² | 366 km² | 498 km² | 82% |
| 2023 | 156 km² | 102 km² | 439 km² | 541 km² | 82% |
| 2022 | 143 km² | 111 km² | 410 km² | 521 km² | 82% |
| 2021 | 170 km² | 105 km² | 574 km² | 679 km² | 82% |
| 2020 | 109 km² | 76.8 km² | 194 km² | 271 km² | 82% |
| 2019 | 97.6 km² | 75.6 km² | 122 km² | 197 km² | 82% |
| 2018 | 96.2 km² | 60.3 km² | 202 km² | 263 km² | 82% |
| 2017 | 94.9 km² | 72.7 km² | 141 km² | 214 km² | 82% |
| 2016 | 119 km² | 90.2 km² | 202 km² | 292 km² | 82% |
| 2015 | 135 km² | 100 km² | 214 km² | 314 km² | 82% |
| 2014 | 150 km² | 119 km² | 254 km² | 373 km² | 82% |
| 2013 | 134 km² | 98.1 km² | 142 km² | 240 km² | 82% |
| 2012 | 123 km² | 87.2 km² | 131 km² | 218 km² | 82% |
| 2011 | 116 km² | 84.2 km² | 110 km² | 194 km² | 82% |
| 2010 | 117 km² | 93.4 km² | 68.4 km² | 162 km² | 82% |
| 2009 | 127 km² | 98.8 km² | 99.4 km² | 198 km² | 82% |
| 2008 | 138 km² | 111 km² | 90.8 km² | 201 km² | 82% |
| 2007 | 122 km² | 81.4 km² | 183 km² | 264 km² | 82% |
| 2006 | 122 km² | 87.1 km² | 153 km² | 240 km² | 82% |
| 2005 | 132 km² | 80.2 km² | 281 km² | 361 km² | 82% |
| 2004 | 98.4 km² | 74.9 km² | 142 km² | 217 km² | 82% |
| 2003 | 115 km² | 89.3 km² | 93.6 km² | 183 km² | 82% |
| 2002 | 120 km² | 97.8 km² | 90.9 km² | 189 km² | 82% |
| 2001 | 114 km² | 78.8 km² | 138 km² | 217 km² | 82% |
| 2000 | 121 km² | 89.5 km² | 121 km² | 210 km² | 82% |
| 1999 | 128 km² | 103 km² | 77.7 km² | 180 km² | 82% |
| 1998 | 134 km² | 97.9 km² | 124 km² | 222 km² | 82% |
| 1997 | 126 km² | 92.5 km² | 127 km² | 219 km² | 82% |
| 1996 | 190 km² | 91.6 km² | 706 km² | 797 km² | 82% |
| 1995 | 136 km² | 87.2 km² | 205 km² | 292 km² | 82% |
| 1994 | 164 km² | 83.2 km² | 365 km² | 448 km² | 81% |
| 1993 | 150 km² | 89.3 km² | 375 km² | 464 km² | 82% |
| 1992 | 137 km² | 90.0 km² | 244 km² | 334 km² | 82% |
| 1991 | 101 km² | 58.3 km² | 201 km² | 260 km² | 82% |
| 1990 | 132 km² | 77.6 km² | 340 km² | 418 km² | 82% |
| 1989 | 113 km² | 66.8 km² | 215 km² | 282 km² | 82% |
| 1987 | 75.9 km² | 64.9 km² | 21.5 km² | 86.4 km² | 71% |
| 1986 | 73.1 km² | 70.1 km² | 6.02 km² | 76.2 km² | 57% |
| 1985 | 48.2 km² | 48.2 km² | none | 48.2 km² | 36% |
| 1984 | 136 km² | 94.4 km² | 93.3 km² | 188 km² | 72% |
A year missing from the table is one Digital Earth Africa does not have for this place (1988 everywhere, 1985 in some places).
Every municipality, ranked · Everything we hold for Overberg · On the explore map
Source
Measured from space by the American Landsat satellites: not a survey on the ground.
Credits and how we worked this out
Water Observations from Space, Digital Earth Africa (CC BY 4.0), modified: we counted each 30 m pixel over every 2026 ward and added the wards up into municipalities, districts and provinces. Under CC BY 4.0, from the AWS Registry of Open Data.
Landsat imagery courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Mueller, N. and others (2016): Water observations from space: mapping surface water from 25 years of Landsat imagery across Australia, Remote Sensing of Environment 174, 341 to 352.
Dataset: surface water by ward, release of 12 November 2026.