The Bikou Dam is an embankment dam

Embankment dam

An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...

 on the Bailong River

Bailong River

The Bailong River is a river in the East China Sea basin of China. In August 2010, due to heavy rains and landslides the river overflowed its banks in Zhugqu County, Gansu, causing extensive damage and killing over a thousand people....

 just upstream of Bikou

Bikou

Bikou Town is a town under Wen County, in Longnan, GS. It is located along the Bailong River, just downstream of the Bikou Dam.-Administration:...

 in Wen County

Wen County, Gansu

Wen County is a county in the municipal region of Longnan, GS.Wen has a land area of 4,994 square kilometers, and a population of 240,000 .-Administrative divisions:...

, Gansu Province, China. Construction on the dam began in 1969, the generators were commissioned in 1976 and the dam was complete in 1977. The 101 m (331 ft) tall earth-core rock-fill dam creates a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

with a 521000000 cubic metre capacity. The dam supports a 300 MW power station.