The Bowatenna Dam is a high
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 to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...
at Bowatenna, in the (Pilihudugolla Village) Naula,
Central Province of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. The dam was built in , and is used primarily for
irrigation. A power station is also constructed downstream, for
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power generation.
Reservoir and spillways
The dam creates the iconic Bowatenna Reservoir, measuring approximately and at its widest and longest latitude and longitude, respectively. The reservoir has an active capacity of and a maximum surface elevation of .
The dam consists of six
spillways, measuring a combined width of , or each. The spillways combined has a maximum discharge capacity of .
After the completion of the
Moragahakanda Dam
The Moragahakanda Dam ( si, මොරගහකන්ද ව්යාපෘතිය), officially as Kulasinghe Reservoir, is a large gravity dam, and the main component of the larger and more complex Moragahakanda — Kalu Ganga Project, acro ...
, a percentage of water from the Bowatenna Reservoir would also be transferred to the new Moragahakanda Reservoir, to be located approximately away, via tunnel.
Power station
The power station, located downstream, consists of a single
Fuji unit. The power station was commissioned in .
See also
*
Electricity in Sri Lanka
*
List of dams and reservoirs in Sri Lanka
*
List of power stations in Sri Lanka
References
{{Inland waters of Sri Lanka
Bowatenna
Gravity dams
Hydroelectric power stations in Sri Lanka
Dams completed in 1981
Buildings and structures in Matale District