Wawa Dam, also known as Montalban Dam, 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 ...

constructed over the Marikina River in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Rodriguez, Rizal Rodriguez, officially the Municipality of Rodriguez () and still commonly known by its former name Montalban, is a municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 443,954 people making it ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The slightly arched dam is situated in the high Montalban Gorge or Wawa Gorge, a

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a pract ...

in the Sierra Madre Mountains, east of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Scenery in June 2013 Construction of the dam began in 1904, and it became operational in 1909, during the

American colonial era The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen Colonies, Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 17 ...

, to provide the water needs for

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Wawa Dam became the focal point of the battle between the US Army's XI Corps and the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

's Shimbu Group. The engagement, also known as the Battle of Wawa Dam saw the opposing sides in a seesaw battle along the Montalban-

Antipolo Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Rizal (province), Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

hills from March to May 1945. Wawa Dam used to be the only source of water for Manila until Angat Dam was built and Wawa was abandoned in 1968. Due to insufficiency of water supply for Metro Manila, there was a strong clamor to reuse the dam. The dam and surrounding area is currently protected as part of the Pamitinan Protected Landscape. In July 2024, the impounding process of the PhP26.5 billion Upper Wawa Dam project, in San Rafael,

was undertaken by the Prime Infra and WawaJVCo. The

Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR; ) is the Executive Departments of the Philippines, executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the cou ...

is tasked with protecting the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape. As part of the Wawa Pumped Storage Water Project, it creates a 400-hectare

artificial Artificiality (the state of being artificial, anthropogenic, or man-made) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotati ...

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

for adequate water supply to operate a 600-mega

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

energy storage facility.

References

External links

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Cooling off at Wawa Dam

Wawa Dam

Wawa Dam pushed as alternative water source

People flock to Wawa Dam to beat the summer heat
Dams in the Philippines Dams completed in 1909 Gravity dams Sierra Madre (Philippines) Buildings and structures in Rodriguez, Rizal Tourist attractions in Rizal (province) {{Asia-dam-stub