Hálslón Reservoir Explained

Hálslón Reservoir
Location:Iceland
Lake Type:Reservoir
Inflow:Jökulsá á Dal River - 107m3/s
Outflow:Jökulsá á Dal River & Jökulsá í Fljótsdal River
Catchment:1806km2
Basin Countries:Iceland
Length:25km (16miles)
Volume:2100e6m3 (live)
Elevation:575m-625mm (1,886feet-2,051feetm)
Pushpin Map:Iceland
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Hálslón Reservoir in Iceland.

The Hálslón Reservoir (pronounced as /is/) is a storage reservoir in Eastern Iceland on the Jökulsá á Dal River. The reservoir stores water for use in hydroelectricity production with the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant. The reservoir was formed by three different concrete-faced, rock-filled embankment dams: the Kárahnjúkastífla Dam, the Desjarárstífla Dam in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈtɛːsjarˌaurˌstipla/ and the Sauðárdalsstífla Dam in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈsœyːðˌaurˌtalsˌstipla/.

Dams

The Kárahnjúkastífla Dam is 193m tall, 730m long and straddles the river. It is made of 8.5 million cubic meters of material, making it the largest dam of its type in Europe. Construction on the dam began in April 2003 and was completed in November 2006. The Kárahnjúkastífla Dam does not create the reservoir alone, as the dam is higher in elevation than the two valleys that flank the river valley. To create the desired level, auxiliary or saddle dams were built. The 60m tall and 1,000m long Desjarárstífla Dam is adjacent and to the east of the Kárahnjúkastífla Dam. The Sauðárdalsstífla Dam is 4 km to the southwest, 25m tall and 1,100m long. Both auxiliary dams were built between April 2004 and October 2006. The reservoir began to fill in September 2006.[1] [2]

Water used for hydroelectricity production in the reservoir is discharged in the Jökulsá í Fljótsdal in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈjœːkʏlsˌauː i ˈfljoutsˌtaːl̥/ river to the northeast.[2]

Conservation

In January 2005, the Icelandic parliament voted to give a large area around the dam park status, thereby protecting it. The area covers one-tenth of Iceland's surface area.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.karahnjukar.is/EN/article.asp?catID=323&ArtId=495 Key Figures of the Kárahnjúkar Hydroelectric Project
  2. http://www.karahnjukar.is/EN/article.asp?catID=371&ArtId=822 The Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Project Overview
  3. http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Giant+dam+and+smelter+boost+economy+and+raise+tensions+in+Iceland/1101979737946 Giant dam and smelter boost economy and raise tensions in Iceland