The Samarra Barrage ( ar, سد سامَرّاء) is a multi-purpose
barrage on the
Tigris River
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the P ...
adjacent (west) of
Samarra and north of
Baghdad, Iraq. The main purpose of the dam is to divert floodwater in the Tigris River to
Lake Tharthar
Lake Tharthar (also Therthar), and known in Iraq as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar ( ar, بحيرة الثرثار), is an artificial lake opened in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of Baghdad between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.
H ...
through the Tharthar depression along with irrigation and an 84 MW hydro-electricity station. It also serves to produce
hydroelectric power and
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
– although the later has become less critical with the construction of the
Mosul Dam
Mosul Dam ( ar, سد الموصل), formerly known as Saddam Dam (), is the largest dam in Iraq. It is located on the Tigris river in the western governorate of Nineveh, upstream of the city of Mosul. The dam serves to generate hydroelectricity ...
upstream and several other large dams in Turkey.
It was completed in 1956 by the German company Züblin. Designs were completed by the British firm Voganlei and Coode. The power station was commissioned in 1972. The Samarra Barrage portion of the structure has 17 gates capable of passing of water to the Tigris while the Tharthar regulator can divert up to into a canal with 36 gates. The reservoir's design capacity is but much of that is filled with sediment.
The intent was to use water stored from the Samarra Barrage and the
Ramadi Barrage for irrigation. However, evaporation on Lakes Habbaniyah and Tharthar lead to reduces storage and high salinity; conditions unsuitable for irrigation.
References
External links
{{Tigris dams
Dams in Iraq
Hydroelectric power stations in Iraq
Samarra
Dams completed in 1956
Dams on the Tigris River
1956 establishments in Iraq
Energy infrastructure completed in 1972
Barrages (dam)
Run-of-the-river power stations