Lake Qaraoun - El Wauroun Dam

El Wauroun Dam

The El Wauroun Dam, built in the middle reaches of the Litani River, has created an artificial lake at (33°34′11.63″N 35°41′51.18″E / 33.5698972°N 35.69755°E / 33.5698972; 35.69755) with water-spread area of 1,190 hectares (2,940 acres). It is situated about 70 km (43 mi) downstream of the historic city of Baalbek. The dam had been under planning since 1964. The Qaraoun village transferred a land area of 760 hectares (1,878 acres) for building the dam. The dam, which created the artificial lake or reservoir, is the largest dam built in Lebanon for multipurpose uses of hydropower generation (190 MW), irrigation of 28,500 hectares (70,425 acres), and drinking-water supply. It is a concrete-faced rockfill dam (CFRD) of 61 metres (200 ft) height built with crest level at elevation 801 metres (2,628 ft), with a dam length of 1,090 metres (3,576 ft), over karstic lime stone formations. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 220×10^6 m3 (7.8×10^9 cu ft) at a maximum pond elevation of 858 m (2,815 ft). The High Flood Level (HFL) in the reservoir is 862 metres (2,828 ft), where the area of the lake is 12.6 km2 (5 sq mi). The average water level for power generation is 835 metres (2,740 ft), with the lowest level or the minimum draw-down level as 827 m (2,713 ft).

The dam's upstream face is a concrete face of 47,000 m2 (506,000 sq ft) area, with thickness of concrete face varying from 50 centimetres (1.6 ft) at the bottom to 30 centimetres (1.0 ft) at the top. The spillway of the dam is designed for an inflow flood discharge of 450×10^6 m3 (15.9×10^9 cu ft). The reservoir has a storage capacity of 220×10^6 m3 (7.8×10^9 cu ft) at maximum pond elevation of 858 metres (2,815 ft).