The Alarcón Dam (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Presa de Alarcón'', ''Pantano de Alarcón'', or ''Embalse de Alarcón'') is a

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...

on the upper course of the Júcar River. It is located from

Alarcón Alarcón is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Province of Cuenca, Cuenca, in the Autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. Geography Located 87 kilometers (54 miles) south of the ...

, in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Cuenca Cuenca may refer to: People * Cuenca (surname) Places Ecuador * Cuenca Canton, in the Azuay Province ** Cuenca, Ecuador, capital of Cuenca Canton and Azuay Province ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cuenca Peru * Cuenca District, Huarochirí ...

, in the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

of Castilla-La Mancha,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

formed by the dam has a water capacity of and spans a

surface area The surface area (symbol ''A'') of a solid object is a measure of the total area that the surface of the object occupies. The mathematical definition of surface area in the presence of curved surfaces is considerably more involved than the d ...

of 6,840

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

(26 square miles). All together, its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

measures 3,033 km² (1,171 mi²). The dam houses a hydroelectric power plant with an installed power capacity of 56 MW. The Tagus-Segura Water Transfer, which links two other major rivers, joins the reservoir briefly on its journey south, entering at the northern tail end and mixing its waters with the Júcar. Construction of the

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

began in 1941 through the efforts of Valencian farmers who wanted to stabilize the flow of the river, as

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

in the

province of Valencia Valencia ( , ), officially València (), is a provinces of Spain, province of Spain, in the central part of the autonomous Valencian Community. Of the province's 2.7 million people (2024), almost one-third live in the capital, Valencia, whic ...

depends on that supply of water. This initiative is unique in Spanish history because rather than the State, it was the farmers who assumed the total cost of the project, having organized under the '' Unidad Sindical de Usuarios del Júcar'' (USUJ, Júcar Users' Coalition), an alliance of . Beneath the waters of the Alarcón Reservoir rest the remains of the town of Gascas, which was flooded after the building of the dam. When the water level drops, one can see traces of the streets and walls, as well as a stone wall with an arch. The reservoir is located within the

municipal district A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It may be a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area. Brazil In Brazil, municipal districts are, in general, su ...

s of the following towns (from east to west): Alarcón,

Olmedilla de Alarcón Olmedilla de Alarcón is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, sou ...

, Tébar, Cañada Juncosa, Buenache de Alarcón, Honrubia, Torrubia del Castillo,

Hontecillas Hontecillas is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost ...

Valverde de Júcar Valverde de Júcar is a municipality located in the province of Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2016 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculat ...

Castillo de Garcimuñoz Castillo de Garcimuñoz is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, ...

, Villaverde y Pasaconsol,

La Almarcha La Almarcha is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost ...

, Belmontejo, and

Olivares de Júcar Olivares de Júcar is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southern ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alarcon Dam Dams in Spain Hydroelectric power stations in Spain Gravity dams 1955 establishments in Spain Dams completed in 1955 Buildings and structures in the Province of Cuenca Energy infrastructure completed in 1955 Reservoirs in Castilla–La Mancha Energy in Castilla–La Mancha