| Puclaro | |
| Coords: | -30.01°N -70.82°W |
| Type: | reservoir |
| Inflow: | Elqui River |
| Outflow: | Elqui River |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile Coquimbo Region |
| Basin Countries: | Chile |
| Length: | 5.95km (03.7miles) |
| Area: | 760ha |
| Max-Depth: | 83m (272feet) |
| Volume: | 4.63e6m3 |
| Elevation: | 435m (1,427feet) |
| Dam Name: | Puclaro Dam |
Puclaro is an artificial lake created by a dam on the Elqui River, 40 km east of the city of La Serena, Coquimbo Region and 500 km north of Santiago. Regular strong winds make the lake a popular place for kitesurfing.[1]
Its purpose is to improve the irrigation of 21,000 ha of farmland in the Elqui valley.
Puclaro Dam is an 83 m tall and 640 m long concrete face gravel fill dam with a crest altitude of 435 m. The volume of the dam is 4,630,000 m³. The dam features a spillway over the dam (maximum discharge 3,800 m³/s). The upstream concrete face varies in thickness from 0.45 m to 0.30 m.
Puclaro dam is founded on very pervious alluvial foundations more than 100 m deep.