The Norton Dam (also sometimes called the Norton Bridge Dam) is the

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 ...

built across the

Kehelgamu Oya The Kehelgamu Oya (translated into Kehelgamu River from Sinhala language, Sinhala) is a major upstream tributary of the Kelani River. The tributary measures in length, originating in the hills of the Horton Plains National Park, before passing th ...

, which is a main tributary to the

Kelani River The Kelani River () is a river in Sri Lanka. The fourth-longest river in the country, it stretches from the Sri Pada Mountain Range to Colombo. It flows through or borders the Sri Lankan districts of Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Gampaha ...

. The dam is built at Norton Bridge, in the Central Province of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Reservoir and power station

The dam creates the relatively small Norton Reservoir, which is sustained by water from the

, and water discharged from the Wimalasurendra Hydroelectric Power Station, which is located upstream of the reservoir. The Wimalasurendra Power Station or the Norton Bridge Power station is fed from the reservoir at Castles Reigh about 2000 feet above the Norton Reservoir. Water from the Norton Reservoir is further channelled through a Tunnel through the rock strata and then by a couple of steel pipes

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is of Scots origin, and was inherited from the earlier technology of mill pond ...

to the Hydroelectric Power Station, located downstream at , northwest of

Kiriwan Eliya Kiriwan Eliya is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province. Laxapana Falls, the 8th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka, is located here. See also *List of towns in Central Province, Sri Lanka Central Province, Sri Lanka, Centr ...

. The power station consists of five hydroelectric generators, three of which are rated at , and two of which are . The first three and last two units were commissioned in and , respectively.

References

{{Inland waters of Sri Lanka 1950 establishments in Ceylon Buildings and structures in Nuwara Eliya District Dams completed in 1950 Dams in Sri Lanka Gravity dams Hydroelectric power stations in Sri Lanka