Ōigawa Dam
Encyclopedia
The is a 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...

 on the Ōi River
Oi River
The is a river in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.-Geography:The Ōi River flows from the Akaishi Mountains, the branch of the Japanese Southern Alps which form the border between Shizuoka, Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. These mountains, with peaks ranging from 2000–3000 meters, are characterized by...

 in Haibara District
Haibara District, Shizuoka
Haibara is a district located in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2004, the district has an estimated population of 95,091 and a density of 126.88 persons per km²...

, Kawanehon
Kawanehon, Shizuoka
is a town located in Haibara District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of February 2010, the town has an estimated population of 8,253 and a density of 16.8persons per km². The total area was 496.72 km².-Geography:...

, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

 on the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It has a hydroelectric power generating station owned by the Chubu Electric Power Company
Chubu Electric Power Company
, abbreviated as Chuden in Japanese, is the electric provider for the middle Chūbu region of the Honshū island of Japan. It provides electricity at 60 Hz, though an area of Nagano Prefecture uses 50 Hz. Chubu Electric Power ranks third among Japan’s largest electric utilities in terms of power...

.

History

The potential of the Ōi River valley for hydroelectric power development was realized by the Meiji government at the start of the 20th century. The Ōi River was characterized by a high volume of flow and a fast current. Its mountainous upper reaches and tributaries were areas of steep valleys and abundant rainfall, and were sparsely populated.

In 1906, a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...

 company, the was established, and began studies and design work on plans to exploit the potential of the Ōi River and Fuji River
Fuji River
The is a river in Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures of central Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . With the Mogami River and the Kuma River, it is regarded as one of the three most rapid flows of Japan....

 in Shizuoka Prefecture. The British interests were bought out by 1921. The Ōigawa Dam was the second dam to be constructed on the main stream of the Ōi River. Construction began in 1934 and was completed in 1936. Electrical production was nationalized under the aegis of the in 1938, which was divided after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 into regional power corporations. The Oikawa Dam is now operated and maintained by the Chubu Electric Power Company
Chubu Electric Power Company
, abbreviated as Chuden in Japanese, is the electric provider for the middle Chūbu region of the Honshū island of Japan. It provides electricity at 60 Hz, though an area of Nagano Prefecture uses 50 Hz. Chubu Electric Power ranks third among Japan’s largest electric utilities in terms of power...

.

Design

Construction of the Ōigawa Dam was facilitated by its location on the Ōigawa Railway Ikawa Line, which was built largely to more materials and works up the Ōi River valley for dam construction. The design is a solid-core concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 gravity dam. The associated Ōigawa Hydroelectric Power Plant produces 68,200 KW of power.

Surroundings

Public access to the dam and its lake are by Shizuoka Prefectural Road 60, with bus connections to Shizuoka Station
Shizuoka Station
is a major railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Shizuoka, Japan, on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Tōkaidō Main Line. The station is 180.2 rail kilometers from Tokyo.-History:...

 or Shin-Shizuoka Station
Shin-Shizuoka Station
is a terminal train station of the Shizuoka-Shimizu Line in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is located within the Shin-Shizuoka Cenova shopping complex.-History:...

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