Lake Qaraoun (Arabic: بحيرة القرعون / ALA-LC: Buḥayrat al-Qara‘ūn) is an artificial lake or reservoir located in the southern region of the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. It was created near Qaraoun village in 1959 by building a 61-metre-high (200 ft) concrete-faced rockfill dam (the largest dam in Lebanon) in the middle reaches of the Litani River (longest river in Lebanon). The reservoir has been used for hydropower generation (190 megawatts or 250,000 horsepower), domestic water supply, and for irrigation of 27,500 hectares (68,000 acres).
The annual surface water flow in the Litani River received at Lake Qaraoun is 420 million cubic metres (14.8 billion cubic feet). This flow is used for generating hydroelectric power of 600 GWh at three hydroelectric power stations at Markaba, Awali and Jun with the total installed capacity of 190 megawatts (250,000 hp). During the dry season, 30 million cubic metres (1.1 billion cubic feet) of water is diverted from Markaba power station to meet the needs of the Kassmieh irrigation project.
The lake is a habitat for some 20,000 migratory birds which visit it annually.
Read more about Lake Qaraoun: Geography, Reservoir, El Wauroun Dam, Future Developments, Archaeology, Visitor Attractions
Famous quotes containing the word lake:
“Like a canoe route across the great lake on whose shore
One is left trapped, grumbling not so much at bad luck as
Because only this one side of experience is ever revealed.
And that meant something.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)