Arroyito Dam
Encyclopedia
The Arroyito Dam is the fifth of five dam
s on the Limay River
in northwestern Argentine
Patagonia
(the Comahue
region), approximately at 39°14′S 68°40′W, 315 m above mean sea level
. It was inaugurated in 1979.
The dam is made of compacted loose materials. It has a volume of 4 million m³, measuring 37 m in height and 3,500 m in length. It is used primarily for the generation of hydroelectricity
, with an installed power of 120 MW
. It generates on average 560 GWh per year. It also serves as a check dam for El Chocón
, located upstream.
The reservoir has an area of 38.6 km² and a volume of 300 million m³. Its depth is 7.7 m on average (maximum: 15 m).
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s on the Limay River
Limay River
The Limay River is an important river in the northwestern Argentine Patagonia . It is born at the eastern end of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and flows in a meandering path for about 380 km, collecting the waters of several tributaries, such as the Traful, the Pichileufú and the Collón Curá. It then meets...
in northwestern Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
(the Comahue
Comahue
.Comahue is a sub-region of Argentina slightly to the south of the country's centre that covers the northern part of Argentine Patagonia and includes the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro....
region), approximately at 39°14′S 68°40′W, 315 m above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. It was inaugurated in 1979.
The dam is made of compacted loose materials. It has a volume of 4 million m³, measuring 37 m in height and 3,500 m in length. It is used primarily for the generation of hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
, with an installed power of 120 MW
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
. It generates on average 560 GWh per year. It also serves as a check dam for El Chocón
El Chocón Dam
The El Chocón Dam is the fourth of the five dams on the Limay River in the northwestern Argentine Patagonia , at , above mean sea level. El Chocón is on the Limay River at about upstream of its confluence with the Neuquén River....
, located upstream.
The reservoir has an area of 38.6 km² and a volume of 300 million m³. Its depth is 7.7 m on average (maximum: 15 m).