Toyosawa Dam

ToyosawaDam
Official name 豊沢ダム
Location Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates 39°28′50″N 140°58′28″E / 39.48056°N 140.97444°E
Construction began 1949
Opening date 1961
Operator(s) Iwate Prefecture
Dam and spillways
Impounds Toyosawa River
Height 59.1 meters
Length 150.0 meters
Reservoir
Creates Toyosawa Lake
Total capacity 23,356,000 m3
Catchment area 60 km2
Surface area 136 hectares


The Toyosawa Dam (豊沢ダム Toyosawa damu) is a dam on the Toyosawa River, a tributary of the Kitakami River system, located in southern Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture on the island of Honshū, Japan. It was completed in 1961.[1]

History

The need for storage reservoirs in the Kitakami River valley for irrigation purposes was recognized by the Meiji government at the start of the 20th century, due to repeated crop failures and conflicts between various communities over water rights. The river also suffered from severe environmental problems with acidic runoff from upstream mining operations. Plans for a series of dams was initiated in 1941 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, but all work was halted during World War II. The plan was revived after the war, and the Toyosawa Dam was the third to be constructed (after the Sannōkai Dam and the Gandō Dam). Construction was begun in 1949, and completed in 1961 by the Kajima Corporation.

Design

The Toyosawa Dam was designed as a solid core concrete gravity dam with a central spillway.

References

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