Wawa Dam

Wawa Dam
Wawa Dam
Wawa Dam is located in Luzon
Wawa Dam
Location in Luzon
Wawa Dam is located in Philippines
Wawa Dam
Location in the Philippines
CountryPhilippines
LocationMontalban Gorge, Rodriguez, Rizal
Coordinates14°43′40″N 121°11′30″E / 14.72778°N 121.19167°E / 14.72778; 121.19167
PurposeWater supply (original)
Recreation (current)
Construction began1904
Opening date1909
Dam and spillways
Type of damArch-gravity dam
ImpoundsMarikina River
Length280 feet (85 m)
SpillwaysOne
Spillway typeOgee crest
Reservoir
Maximum water depth13 m
Normal elevation57 masl
Power Station
Operator(s)Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System
Decommission date1968

Wawa Dam, also known as Montalban Dam,[1] is a gravity dam constructed over the Marikina River in the municipality of Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines.[2] The slightly arched dam is situated in the 360-metre (1,180 ft) high Montalban Gorge or Wawa Gorge,[3] a water gap in the Sierra Madre Mountains, east of Manila.

Scenery in June 2013

Construction of the dam began in 1904, and it became operational in 1909, during the American colonial era, to provide the water needs for Manila.[4][5][6]

During World War II, Wawa Dam became the focal point of the battle between the US Army's XI Corps and the Imperial Japanese Army's Shimbu Group. The engagement, also known as the Battle of Wawa Dam saw the opposing sides in a seesaw battle along the Montalban-Antipolo hills from March to May 1945.

Wawa Dam used to be the only source of water for Manila until Angat Dam was built and Wawa was abandoned in 1968.[7] Due to insufficiency of water supply for Metro Manila, there was a strong clamor to reuse the dam.[8] The dam and surrounding area is currently protected as part of the Pamitinan Protected Landscape.

In July 2024, the impounding process of the PhP26.5 billion Upper Wawa Dam project, in San Rafael, Rodriguez, Rizal is undertaken by the Prime Infra and WawaJVCo contructors. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is tasked to protect the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape. As part of the Wawa Pumped Storage Water Project, it creates a 400-hectare artificial lake for adequate water supply with a 600-megawatt.[9]

  1. ^ Philippine Commission (1912). "Annual Reports of the U.S. War Department 1912, Vol. IV". Government Printing Office, Washington.
  2. ^ "Final List of Watersheds Supporting 140 River Irrigation Systems of the NIA" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, pg. 5. Green Army Network. Retrieved on August 15, 2012.
  3. ^ "Wawa Gorge". Google Maps. Retrieved on August 15, 2012.
  4. ^ Layug, Benjamin (September 13, 2018). "Legend, history and adventure converge in Wawa | Benjamin Layug". BusinessMirror. Business Mirror. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  5. ^ Philippine Commission (1908) "Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War 1908, Part 1". Government Printing Office, Washington.
  6. ^ http://www2.philstar.com/business/558574/mwss-eyes-wawa-dam-for-additional-water-supply [dead link]
  7. ^ "Wawa Dam or Laiban Dam?". January 25, 2010.
  8. ^ Cruz, Neal (June 10, 2010). "Probe water agencies on Wawa". Inquirer.net. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  9. ^ Celona, Jonathan (July 10, 2024). "Marcos Leads Impounding Ceremony for Upper Wawa Dam". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. Retrieved July 11, 2024.