The Mae Klong Dam ( th, เขื่อนแม่กลอง) is a

barrage dam A barrage is a type of low-head, diversion dam which consists of a number of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing through. This allows the structure to regulate and stabilize river water elevation up ...

on the

Mae Klong River The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Mae Khlong or Meklong, is a river in western Thailand. The river begins at the confluence of the Khwae Noi (Khwae Sai Yok) and the Khwae Yai River (Khwae Si Sawat) in Kanchanaburi, it passes Ratchaburi ...

in western Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province. Situated in Tha Muang District, shortly downstream of the provincial capital of

Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi ( th, กาญจนบุรี, ) is a town municipality (''thesaban mueang'') in the west of Thailand and part of Kanchanaburi Province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327. That number was reduced to 25,651 in 2017. The town ...

, it was built as part of the Greater Mae Klong Irrigation Project and was completed in 1970. The barrage is a steel-reinforced concrete structure, 150 metres long and 14 metres high, with eight 12.5-by-7.5-metre radial gates. It regulates the flow of the river, while a network of irrigation canals provides water for agriculture over an area of in six provinces, diverts water to the

Tha Chin River The Tha Chin river ( th, แม่น้ำท่าจีน, , ) is a distributary of the Chao Phraya river, Thailand. It splits near the province of Chai Nat and then flows west from the Chao Phraya through the central plains, until it empt ...

, and supplies water for the

Metropolitan Waterworks Authority The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority ( Abrv: MWA; th, การประปานครหลวง, ) is a Thai state enterprise under the Ministry of Interior. Its mission is to produce, distribute, and sell treated water in Bangkok, Nonthabur ...

's Maha Sawat Water Treatment Plant, which provides the

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ...

(western) side of Bangkok with running water. A small

hydroelectric power plant 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 ...

with two 6-megawatt generators was built in 2006. The dam is jointly operated the Royal Irrigation Department and the

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) ( th, การไฟฟ้าฝ่ายผลิตแห่งประเทศไทย; ) is a state enterprise, managed by the Ministry of Energy, responsible for electric power ge ...

. Mae Klong Dam produced 33.32 GWh in 2014. The targeted annual supply was set at 74 GWh, and experiments have demonstrated that the dam is capable of producing up to 124.39 GWh.

References

{{coord, 13, 57, 17, N, 99, 37, 30, E, type:landmark, display=title Dams in Thailand Barrages (dam) Buildings and structures in Kanchanaburi province Dams completed in 1970 1970 establishments in Thailand