Vajiralongkorn Dam, formerly named the Khao Laem Dam, is a concrete-face rock-fill dam

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...

 (CFRD) in Thong Pha Phum

Amphoe Thong Pha Phum

Thong Pha Phum is a district in the northern part of Kanchanaburi Province, central Thailand.-History:At first Thong Pha Phum was the minor district Sangkhla Buri, a subordinate of Wang Ka district. In 1939 the name Sangkhla Buri was assigned to Wang Ka, while the minor district was renamed to...

 district in Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi Province

- History :Archaeology found in Kanchanaburi dates back to the 4th century which proves of trade with surrounding countries even in that time. Very little is also historically known about the actual Khmer influence in Kanchanaburi but there is evidence of their occupation with Prasat Muang Singh –...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. The dam lies across the Khwae Noi River (River Kwai) and was renamed Vajiralongkorn Dam after Crown Prince

Crown Prince of Thailand

The Crown Prince of Thailand was a title held by the heir apparent to the Thai throne. First created by King Chulalongkorn in 1886, for his son Prince Maha Vajirunhis, the king's eldest son by a royal wife Princess Consort Savang Vadhana. Prior to this the Siamese throne did not have a law or...

 Maha Vajiralongkorn

Maha Vajiralongkorn

Somdet Phra Boromma-orasathirat Chao Fa Maha Vajiralongkorn Sayammakutratchakuman is the only son of Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, and Queen Sirikit...

 on July 13, 2001. Vajiralongkorn Dam is Thailand's first CFRD and supplies a 300 MW hydroelectric power station with water.

Construction

Dam construction began in 1979 and took five years to complete. Its 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...

 started filling with water in June, 1984. Three 100MW hydropower

Hydropower

Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...

generators came on line in October and December, 1984 and February 1985 respectively. The reservoir created by the dam has a maximum storage capacity of 8,860 million cubic meters covering a total catchment area of 3,720 square kilometers. Average runoff into the reservoir is approximately 5,500 million cubic meters per year.