La Mesa Dam
Encyclopedia
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...
and an ecological reservation site in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
commissioned in 1929 in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is part of the Angat
Angat Dam
Angat Dam is a concrete water reservoir embankment hydroelectric dam that supplies the Manila metropolitan area water. It was a part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system...
-Ipo
Ipo Dam
Ipo Dam is a gravity concrete water reservoir dam found in the Philippines. The dam is located about 7.5 kilometers downstream of the Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan province. It was a part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system.-References:*...
-La Mesa water system, which supplies most of the water supply of Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
. The La Mesa Dam is an earth dam whose 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...
can hold up to 50.5 million cubic meters occupying an area of 27 square kilometers.
The water collected in the reservoir is treated on-site by the Maynilad Water Services, and at the Balara Treatment Plant further south by the Manila Water
Manila Water
The Manila Water Company, Inc. is a public utility company in the Philippines. Manila Water, as it is more commonly known, is the East Concessionaire of MWSS during its privatization on August 1, 1997, with its counterpart Maynilad Water Services, Inc. as the West Concessionaire...
. Both water companies are private concessionaires awarded by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the government agency in charge of water supply. It is a vital link to the water requirements of 12 million residents of Metro Manila considering that 1.5 million liters of water pass through this reservoir everyday. It is also the last forest of its size in the metropolis.