Embalse is a city in the center-west of the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Córdoba, Argentina, located within the
Calamuchita Valley, 119 km south-southwest from
Córdoba City. The municipality has 15,000 inhabitants as per the , though unofficial counts including the neighboring areas give a population of over 30,000, which grows by several thousands during the tourist high season.
The word ''embalse'' means "
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
" (i. e. artificial lake) in Spanish. Embalse is located along the eastern shore of a large reservoir produced by 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 ...
ming of the
Río Tercero. The dam was inaugurated in 1930; it is 58 m high and 125 m long, with a maximum capacity of 730 million m³. The reservoir has an area of 58 km² and is employed for
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
,
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) 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 been devel ...
and the production of
hydroelectricity
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 an ...
, as well as
water sports
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...
. On the southern shore lies the
Embalse nuclear power plant
The Embalse Nuclear Power Station ( es, Central Nuclear Embalse) is one of three operational nuclear power plants in Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of a reservoir on the Río Tercero, near the city of Embalse, Córdoba, 110&nbs ...
, one of the two operational nuclear plants of Argentina (the other is
Atucha I).
The area is of major touristic importance. Accordingly, Embalse has 7 hotels and many smaller accommodation facilities, and a
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
(opened in 1984).
References
*
Portal de Embalse, Valle de Calamuchita* Fernanda Gariela Biolé, Adriana Olmedo, Fernando Julio Biolé. (2002). Historia de la construcción del Embalse de Río Tercero, Córdoba, Argentina
Libro completo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Embalse, Cordoba
Populated places in Córdoba Province, Argentina
Populated places established in 1911