Três-Marias reservoir
| Três-Marias reservoir | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Coordinates | 18 ° 15 ′ 0 ″ S , 45 ° 16 ′ 0 ″ W | ||||||||
| Data on the structure | |||||||||
| Construction time: | 1957-1961 | ||||||||
| Height above foundation level : | 75 m | ||||||||
| Crown length: | 2700 m | ||||||||
| Base width: | 600 m | ||||||||
| Power plant output: | 396 MW | ||||||||
| Data on the reservoir | |||||||||
| Water surface | 1040 km² | ||||||||
| Storage space | 21,000 million m³ | ||||||||
The Três Marias Reservoir (in Portuguese, Lago de Três Marias or Represa Três Marias ) in Brazil is one of the largest reservoirs on earth. It is located south of Três Marias, a small town in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais on the São Francisco River . It is 276 km to Belo Horizonte , the capital of Minas Gerais, and 438 km to the Brazilian capital, Brasília .
Três Marias dam and reservoir
The dam was built in record time from 1957 to 1961 during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek . Two shifts were employed and approximately 10,000 workers were employed.
The purpose of the dam was to control floods, improve navigability , use hydropower to develop industry, and provide irrigation.
The dam is one of the largest earth dams on earth. It is a maximum of 75 m high and 2700 m long and has a base width of 600 m. The associated hydropower plant, named after Bernardo Mascarenhas, has an output of 396 MW.
The reservoir, which is also called “Fresh Sea of Minas”, has a capacity of 21 billion cubic meters, a water surface of 1040 square kilometers and extends over eight municipalities.
Name origin
There are several versions of the origin of the name Três Marias.
- a possible reference are the three belt stars of the constellation Orion, which is visible here in every season.
- it could also mean the three waterfalls that used to be here at the location of the reservoir.
- but the most popular version refers to three sisters who lived on the right bank of the river. They were triplets, all called Maria, and were very beautiful. Unfortunately, legend has it that all three drowned in the river.
See also
- List of the largest dams on earth
- List of the largest reservoirs on earth
- List of dams in the world # Brazil
Web links
- Três Marias ( Memento from September 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Barragem & Lago de Três Marias ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Information About Três Marias ( Memento of February 13, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
- official website of Três Marias ( Memento of June 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
