El Atazar Dam

El Atazar Dam
The dam in 2014
CountrySpain
LocationCommunity of Madrid
Coordinates40°54′44″N 3°28′24″W / 40.91222°N 3.47333°W / 40.91222; -3.47333
StatusCompleted
Construction began1968
Dam and spillways
Height (foundation)134 m (440 ft)
Length52.3 m (171.6 ft)
Reservoir
CreatesEl Atazar Reservoir
Total capacity426 hm3 (1.50×1010 cu ft)
Surface area10.7 km²
The reservoir

El Atazar Dam is an arch dam built near Madrid, Spain on the Lozoya River, very close to where the Lozoya joins the Jarama. The curved design of the dam is optimum for the narrow gorge in which it was built to retain water in the reservoir. Arch dams are thin and require less material to construct than other dam types.[1]

When the dam was built, the decision was made to use the dam to store and regulate water only and not to provide energy. Construction started on the dam in 1968 and finished in 1972.

  1. ^ "Dam basics". PBS. Retrieved 2006-12-31.