Quebrada de Ullúm Dam

The Quebrada de Ullúm Dam, or simply Ullúm Dam, is an embankment dam on the San Juan River, just west of San Juan in Ullúm Department of the Province of San Juan, Argentina. It is located at the gorge of the Quebrada de Ullum, 18 kilometres (11 mi) upstream from the provincial capital San Juan, and creates a reservoir with an area of 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi), a volume of 440 million cubic metres (16×10^9 cu ft), and average and maximum depths of 15 and 40 metres (49 and 131 ft), respectively. The reservoir feeds a hydroelectric power station with an installed power capacity of 45 megawatts (60,000 hp).[1]

Ullúm Dam
Spillway and reservoir
Quebrada de Ullúm Dam is located in Argentina
Quebrada de Ullúm Dam
Location of Ullúm Dam in Argentina
Official nameQuebrada de Ullúm Dam
CountryArgentina
LocationSan Juan, Ullúm Department, Province of San Juan
Coordinates31°28′29.17″S 68°38′59.30″W / 31.4747694°S 68.6498056°W / -31.4747694; -68.6498056
PurposePower, water supply
StatusOperational
Construction began1969
Opening date1980
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, earth and rock-fill
ImpoundsSan Juan River
Height53 m (174 ft)
Length300 m (980 ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity440,000,000 m3 (360,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface area32 km2 (12 sq mi)
Commission date1981
Turbines1 x 45 MW Kaplan-type
Installed capacity45 MW

The region is arid, with mean annual rainfall below 85 millimetres (3.3 in), and is traversed by the rivers, San Juan and Jáchal. The dam is employed to regulate the flow to irrigate about 800 square kilometres (310 sq mi) of the Tulum Valley for agriculture, which is the basis of the economy of San Juan. It also allows for recreational and tourist activities.

Work on the dam began in 1969, and the facility was inaugurated on December 3, 1980.

References edit

  1. ^ "Hydroelectric power plants" (PDF). Panedile. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.