The Limón Dam, part of the Olmos Transandino Project, is an under construction multi-purpose concrete-face rock-fill

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...

on the

Huancabamba River The Huancabamba River ("Stony Plain" in the Quechua language) in the Pasco Region of Peru has its origin in the confluence of several small rivers near the town of Oxapampa: the Chontabamba, the Llamaquizú, and the Esperanza rivers. From an ...

in northwestern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, located to the south of Guabal. When completed, the project will help produce of electricity per year and transfer water from the

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...

region west to Lambayeque, near Olmos for the

reclamation Reclaim, reclaimed, reclaimer, reclaiming or reclamation means "to get something back". It may refer to: * Land reclamation, creating new land from oceans, riverbeds, or lake beds * Dedesertification, reversing of the land degradation in arid ...

and irrigation of of

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

. The greatest feature and engineering challenge of the project was digging the trans-Andean tunnel as it connects the Atlantic side of the Andes (

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

) with the Pacific side. The Olmos Irrigation Project is the largest of seven irrigation projects in Peru.

History and construction

The idea to divert the Huancabamba River to the fertile but arid lands of Olmos was first envisioned in 1924. The hydroelectric component was added in the 1940s and 1950s. Preliminary feasibility studies were conducted in the 1960s by Italconsult, in 1979-1982 soviet engineers from Hydroproject prepared and approved new design Tunnel excavation had been occurring since the 1950s and through the 1970s but work was halted in the 1980s due to a lack of funding. Construction on the project began in 2006 with the dam and Brazil's

Odebrecht Odebrecht S.A. (), officially known as Novonor, is a Brazilian conglomerate, headquartered in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, consisting of diversified businesses in the fields of engineering, construction, chemicals and petrochemicals. The company w ...

drilling the tunnel with a tunnel boring machine (TBM). Of the tunnel's total length, is being dug with a TBM. The dam was completed in 2009 and its reservoir began to impound the river. The tunnel was completed on 20 December 2011 with a ceremony attended by Peru's President

Ollanta Humala Lieutenant colonel Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso (; born 27 June 1962) is a Peruvian politician and former military officer who served as President of Peru from 2011 to 2016. Originally a socialist and left-wing nationalist, he is considered t ...

. In June 2010, H2Olmos S.A. was awarded the contract for the irrigation system and it is expected to be operational in 2013. The contract for the hydroelectric component, which is planned to consist of two power stations, was awarded to Sindicato Energético S.A. in June 2010.

Project characteristics

The water transfer accomplished by the Limón Dam on the Huancabamba River will divert up to of water a year through the Olmos Transandino tunnel to the Olmos River Valley. The Limón Dam is a high, long embankment dam that creates a reservoir of impounding . Water diverted by the dam is transferred via the tunnel to the Olmos River where it will be used to irrigate of land. From there, water continues down the Olmos River where at two points, it will be used at hydroelectric power stations. At the base of the valley, water will settle in the Palo Verde Reservoir which will have a storage capacity of . The Palo Verde Dam will serve as a

diversion dam A diversion dam is a dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a river from its natural course. Diversion dams do not generally impound water in a reservoir; instead, the water is diverted into an artificial water course or canal, which ...

and shift water from the reservoir to the remaining of farmland.

Popular culture

The project was profiled in the May 18, 2009 episode of ''

Build it Bigger ''Extreme Engineering'' is a documentary television series that aired on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. The program featured futuristic and ongoing engineering projects. After ending of season 3 it airs under the ''Build It Bi ...

'' and the March 19, 2014 episode of '' Strip the City''. It also featured in an episode of Mega Construction.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Limon Dam Buildings and structures in Lambayeque Region Buildings and structures in Cajamarca Region Irrigation in Peru Reservoirs in Peru Tunnels in Peru Water tunnels Dams in Peru Concrete-face rock-fill dams Dams completed in 2009 2009 establishments in Peru