Álvaro Obregón Dam

Álvaro Obregón Dam
Upstream side of dam in 2006
Location of Álvaro Obregón Dam in Mexico
Official name	Presa Oviáchic
Country	Mexico
Location	Cajeme, Sonora
Coordinates
Status	In use
Construction began	1947
Opening date	1952
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment
Impounds	Yaqui River
Height	57 m (187 ft)
Length	1,457 m (4,780 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Oviáchic
Total capacity	3,226,000,000 m3 (2,615,361 acre·ft)
Surface area	208 km2 (80 sq mi)
Power station
Operator(s)	Comisión Federal de Electricidad
Commission date	28 August 1957
Turbines	2
Installed capacity	19 MW

The Álvaro Obregón Dam (also known as the Oviáchic Dam) is an embankment dam on the Yaqui River north of Ciudad Obregón, in Sonora, Mexico. The purpose of the dam is water supply for irrigation, flood control and hydroelectric power production. The dam supports a power station with two generators and a 19 MW installed capacity.

Background

Because of drought, the Álvaro Obregón Dam and others on the Sonora and Mayo Rivers were constructed in the 1940s and 1950s. Construction on the Álvaro Obregón Dam began in 1947 and was complete in 1952. The dam's power station was not operational until August 1957. The dam is 57 m (187 ft) above the riverbed and 1,457 m (4,780 ft) long. The dam has an additional saddle dam 2 km (1 mi) to its northwest and along with a system of canals, it helps irrigate 83% of a 232,999 ha (900 sq mi) area. Because of drought in the 1990s and 2000s, 2004 was the first year that water from the dam's reservoir was not authorized for irrigation.

See also

• List of power stations in Mexico