La Boquilla Dam

La Boquilla Dam
Location of La Boquilla Dam in Mexico
Location San Francisco de Conchos Municipality, Chihuahua
Coordinates 27°32′41″N 105°24′51″W / 27.54472°N 105.41417°W / 27.54472; -105.41417Coordinates: 27°32′41″N 105°24′51″W / 27.54472°N 105.41417°W / 27.54472; -105.41417
Construction began 1910
Opening date 1915
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Gravity
Impounds Rio Conchos
Height (foundation) 80 m (260 ft)
Reservoir
Creates Toronto Lake
Total capacity 2.903 km3 (2,354,000 acre·ft)
Power station
Installed capacity 25 MW
Annual generation 164.6 GWh

La Boquilla Dam (Spanish: Presa de la Boquilla) is a masonry arch-gravity dam on the Rio Conchos in Chihuahua, Mexico. The dam was built in 1910 to provide hydroelectricity, irrigation and flood control, and forms Toronto Lake with a capacity of 2.903 cubic kilometres (2,354,000 acre·ft). The dam, and the nearby town of Boquilla de Conchos are named for the abrupt narrowing of the Conchos valley where the dam was built, boquilla meaning "nozzle" or "mouth".

Construction of the dam began in 1910 and was completed in 1915. The dam has overflowed several times throughout its history, most notably in 1917 and 2008, causing severe flooding downstream.[1]

The power plant at the dam has a generating capacity of 25 megawatts. In 2004 it produced 164,660,000 kilowatt hours of energy.[2]

See also

References

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