Poilão Dam
São Lourenço dos Órgãos
Poilão Dam, located in São Lourenço dos Órgãos on Santiago Island, Cape Verde, is a major brick dam completed in July 2006. It impounds the Ribeira Seca, the island's largest river, creating a reservoir used primarily for irrigation between the villages of Poilão and Levada. The dam stretches 1,235 meters in length and covers a surface area of 17 hectares, with a surface elevation of 118 meters above sea level and a depth of 18 meters at the dam. Its reservoir volume is approximately 1.2 million cubic meters. The region experiences a dry climate with occasional heavy rainfalls that transport large amounts of sediment into the reservoir. This sedimentation has significantly reduced the dam's storage capacity by nearly half between 2006 and 2013, highlighting challenges in reservoir management. Positioned near the national road EN1-ST03 connecting João Teves and Achada Fazenda, the dam is an important infrastructure piece supporting local agriculture and water management on Santiago Island.
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Datos interesantes
- •Poilão Dam impounds Ribeira Seca, the largest river on Santiago Island.
- •The dam's reservoir covers an area of 17 hectares and holds about 1.2 million cubic meters of water.
- •Sediment accumulation from heavy rains has reduced the reservoir's capacity by nearly half between 2006 and 2013.
Historia
The Poilão Dam was constructed and completed in July 2006 to support irrigation needs on Santiago Island by impounding the Ribeira Seca river.
Since its completion, the dam has faced challenges due to sediment accumulation caused by torrential downpours typical of the island's dry climate.
Studies between 2006 and 2013 revealed that sedimentation reduced the reservoir's storage capacity by almost 50%, impacting its efficiency and requiring ongoing management efforts.