Melones Dam (Cuba)

The Melones Dam, also known as the Mayarí Dam, is a concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Mayarí River about 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Mayarí in Holguín Province, Cuba. It is the tallest dam in the country and the center-piece of the East–West Transvase System.

For the New Melones Dam in the United States, see New Melones Dam.
Melones Dam
Location of Melones Dam in Cuba
Official namePresa Melones
CountryCuba
LocationMayarí, Holguín Province
Coordinates20°35′55.79″N 75°39′49.53″W
PurposeWater supply
StatusOperational
Construction beganEarly 1980s
Opening date2011 (2011)
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, concrete-face rock-fill
ImpoundsMayarí River
Height86 m (282 ft)
Length507 m (1,663 ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity630,000,000 m3 (510,000 acre⋅ft)
Normal elevation85 m (279 ft)

Overview

The system aims to connect various watersheds in the water-rich Holguín Province to cities and towns within the province and to the drier Las Tunas and Camagüey Provinces to the west. The project is still under construction but when complex it will comprise six reservoirs and hundreds of miles of canals and pipes. The Melones Dam, with its 630,000,000 m3 (510,000 acre⋅ft) reservoir will help supply much of the water. Within the system, it will connect to the Sabanilla Reservoir to the west and the Levisa Reservoir to the east.

History

The project originally began in the 1980s but stalled due to economic problems. It since restarted in 2005 under the supervision of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. The first phase was complete in 2009 and the Melones Dam was finished in 2011.[1][2]

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References
  1. "Keystone project of big water system completed in time". Cuba Standard. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  2. "The Diversion East - West" (in Spanish). OBRAS. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
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