Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Free State
In 2025, Free State had 1,458 km² of open water on average, 1,134 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 1989 (1,693 km²); the driest 1984 (525 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
- 1,458 km²Water on average1.1% of the land; 147% of the 1991 to 2020 average (989 km²)
- 1,134 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 2,389 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 97%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 1989Wettest, 1,693 km²2,730 km² wet at some point
- 1984Driest, 525 km²421 km² permanent
Among the 40 years in which at least 90% as much of the place was seen as in its best year (1 less well seen year is left out), so a cloudy year cannot pass for a dry one.
Every year since 1984
Show the numbers
| When or what | Figure |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 525 km² on average, 421 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 218 km² on average, 218 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 683 km² on average, 501 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 726 km² on average, 570 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 1,693 km² on average, 1,383 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 1,133 km² on average, 884 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 1,289 km² on average, 980 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 701 km² on average, 475 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 621 km² on average, 420 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 799 km² on average, 541 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 542 km² on average, 388 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 1,156 km² on average, 918 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 1,194 km² on average, 780 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 1,136 km² on average, 884 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 944 km² on average, 769 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 1,098 km² on average, 943 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 1,140 km² on average, 899 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 1,198 km² on average, 1,004 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 931 km² on average, 686 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 770 km² on average, 633 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 702 km² on average, 571 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 1,303 km² on average, 1,049 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 907 km² on average, 753 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 980 km² on average, 823 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 1,025 km² on average, 878 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 1,194 km² on average, 917 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 1,515 km² on average, 1,153 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 1,039 km² on average, 872 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 873 km² on average, 725 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 1,022 km² on average, 832 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 820 km² on average, 642 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 653 km² on average, 502 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 1,013 km² on average, 816 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 1,045 km² on average, 814 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 1,048 km² on average, 742 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 1,012 km² on average, 773 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 1,325 km² on average, 1,043 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 1,681 km² on average, 1,287 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 1,362 km² on average, 1,101 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 1,066 km² on average, 859 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 1,458 km² on average, 1,134 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,458 km² | 1,134 km² | 2,389 km² | 3,523 km² | 97% |
| 2024 | 1,066 km² | 859 km² | 1,742 km² | 2,600 km² | 97% |
| 2023 | 1,362 km² | 1,101 km² | 4,265 km² | 5,366 km² | 97% |
| 2022 | 1,681 km² | 1,287 km² | 4,923 km² | 6,210 km² | 97% |
| 2021 | 1,325 km² | 1,043 km² | 3,204 km² | 4,247 km² | 97% |
| 2020 | 1,012 km² | 773 km² | 1,978 km² | 2,751 km² | 97% |
| 2019 | 1,048 km² | 742 km² | 1,868 km² | 2,609 km² | 97% |
| 2018 | 1,045 km² | 814 km² | 1,667 km² | 2,481 km² | 97% |
| 2017 | 1,013 km² | 816 km² | 1,435 km² | 2,251 km² | 97% |
| 2016 | 653 km² | 502 km² | 1,473 km² | 1,976 km² | 97% |
| 2015 | 820 km² | 642 km² | 1,468 km² | 2,110 km² | 97% |
| 2014 | 1,022 km² | 832 km² | 1,295 km² | 2,126 km² | 97% |
| 2013 | 873 km² | 725 km² | 889 km² | 1,614 km² | 97% |
| 2012 | 1,039 km² | 872 km² | 662 km² | 1,534 km² | 97% |
| 2011 | 1,515 km² | 1,153 km² | 1,241 km² | 2,394 km² | 97% |
| 2010 | 1,194 km² | 917 km² | 1,043 km² | 1,959 km² | 97% |
| 2009 | 1,025 km² | 878 km² | 619 km² | 1,497 km² | 97% |
| 2008 | 980 km² | 823 km² | 695 km² | 1,518 km² | 97% |
| 2007 | 907 km² | 753 km² | 957 km² | 1,711 km² | 97% |
| 2006 | 1,303 km² | 1,049 km² | 1,219 km² | 2,267 km² | 97% |
| 2005 | 702 km² | 571 km² | 537 km² | 1,108 km² | 97% |
| 2004 | 770 km² | 633 km² | 849 km² | 1,483 km² | 97% |
| 2003 | 931 km² | 686 km² | 966 km² | 1,651 km² | 97% |
| 2002 | 1,198 km² | 1,004 km² | 1,012 km² | 2,016 km² | 97% |
| 2001 | 1,140 km² | 899 km² | 1,121 km² | 2,020 km² | 97% |
| 2000 | 1,098 km² | 943 km² | 575 km² | 1,519 km² | 97% |
| 1999 | 944 km² | 769 km² | 656 km² | 1,426 km² | 97% |
| 1998 | 1,136 km² | 884 km² | 1,247 km² | 2,131 km² | 97% |
| 1997 | 1,194 km² | 780 km² | 1,671 km² | 2,451 km² | 97% |
| 1996 | 1,156 km² | 918 km² | 875 km² | 1,793 km² | 97% |
| 1995 | 542 km² | 388 km² | 837 km² | 1,224 km² | 97% |
| 1994 | 799 km² | 541 km² | 938 km² | 1,479 km² | 97% |
| 1993 | 621 km² | 420 km² | 1,210 km² | 1,630 km² | 97% |
| 1992 | 701 km² | 475 km² | 945 km² | 1,420 km² | 97% |
| 1991 | 1,289 km² | 980 km² | 1,432 km² | 2,412 km² | 97% |
| 1990 | 1,133 km² | 884 km² | 1,169 km² | 2,053 km² | 97% |
| 1989 | 1,693 km² | 1,383 km² | 1,347 km² | 2,730 km² | 97% |
| 1987 | 726 km² | 570 km² | 342 km² | 912 km² | 97% |
| 1986 | 683 km² | 501 km² | 557 km² | 1,058 km² | 97% |
| 1985 | 218 km² | 218 km² | none | 218 km² | 57% |
| 1984 | 525 km² | 421 km² | 302 km² | 723 km² | 94% |
A year missing from the table is one Digital Earth Africa does not have for this place (1988 everywhere, 1985 in some places).
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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.