Zengwen Dam

Zengwen Dam
Location of Zengwen Dam in Taiwan
Country	Taiwan
Location	Dapu, Chiayi County
Coordinates	23°14′53″N 120°32′11″E / 23.24806°N 120.53639°ECoordinates: 23°14′53″N 120°32′11″E / 23.24806°N 120.53639°E
Status	In use
Construction began	1967
Opening date	1973
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earthfill
Impounds	Zengwun River
Height	128 m (420 ft)
Length	400 m (1,300 ft)
Width (crest)	10 m (33 ft)
Width (base)	445 m (1,460 ft)
Spillways	3
Spillway type	Gated overflow, service
Spillway capacity	9,470 m^3/s (334,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Zengwun Reservoir
Total capacity	708,000,000 m^3 (574,000 acre·ft)
Catchment area	481 km^2 (186 sq mi)
Surface area	17 km^2 (4,200 acres)
Power station
Installed capacity	50 MW

Zengwen Dam, formerly spelled Tsengwen Dam, (Chinese: 曾文水庫; Hanyu Pinyin: Zéngwén Shuǐkù; Tongyong Pinyin: Zéngwún Shuěikù; Wade–Giles: Tseng²-wen² Shui³-k'u⁴) is a major earthen dam in Dapu Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan on the Zengwun River. It is the third tallest dam in Taiwan, and forms the largest reservoir in Taiwan by volume.^[1] The dam regulates the flow of the Zengwun River for irrigation of the Chianan Plain, Taiwan's most productive agricultural region. There is also a 50 megawatt hydroelectric power station at the dam.^[2][3]

Zengwen Reservoir

The first proposals for the dam were made as early as 1939 under Japanese rule, after the completion of the Wushantou Dam to supply water to the Chianan Plain. Because Wushantou is located on a smaller stream, it receives most of its water via a diversion tunnel from the Zengwun River. However, due to a lack of regulation on the Zengwun River, water could only be diverted during the May–October rainy season. Furthermore, the Wushantou reservoir suffered from silt buildup due to sediment from the Zengwun River passing through the diversion tunnel - hence the need for a dam on the Zengwun River, to control flooding and trap silt.

Due to the intervention of World War II, construction did not begin on the Zengwun Dam until October 31, 1967. An earthen cofferdam had to be built to divert the River through a pair of tunnels on the south side of the dam site. As the dam was hydraulically filled, construction started on the spillway to its north side. The power plant was completed just before the reservoir began storing water on October 31, 1973, exactly six years after groundbreaking.

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in Taiwan
• List of power stations in Taiwan
• Nanhua Dam
• Wushantou Dam

References

1. "Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan)". ey.gov.tw.
2. "Engineering of enhancing water level of Tseng Wen Reservoir to 230M through improvement of dam, spillway, and related facilities". Sustainable Public Infrastructure. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
3. "Taiwan's largest artificial lake - Tseng Wen Reservoir". ChinaTaiwan.org. 2010-02-02. Retrieved 28 February 2011.