Hatori Dam

Hatori Dam
Hatori Dam
Location of Hatori Dam in Fukushima Prefecture Show map of Fukushima Prefecture Hatori Dam (Japan) Show map of Japan
Official name	羽鳥ダム
Location	Ten'ei, Fukushima, Japan
Coordinates	37°16′18″N 140°04′34″E / 37.27167°N 140.07611°E / 37.27167; 140.07611
Construction began	1950
Opening date	1956
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	earth-fill dam
Impounds	Tsurunuma River
Height	37.1 m
Length	169.5 m
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Hatori
Total capacity	27,321,000 m³
Catchment area	42.7 km²
Surface area	201 hectares

Hatori Dam (羽鳥ダム, Hatori damu) is a dam in Ten'ei, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.^[1][2] Hatori Dam is managed directly by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and is intended to provide irrigation for the Shirakawa area of the Abukuma River Basin. The dam is an earth dam with a height of 37.1 meters. The reservoir created by the dam is called Lake Hatori, and has been developed as a resort area.

History

The Abukuma River that flows through the Nakadori region of central Fukushima prefecture was traditionally a strong granary area, due to lack of water in areas not immediately adjacent to the Abukuma River, and due to the fact that the average flow rate of the Abukuma River itself is also small (52.07 tons per second). During the Edo period, even a light drought was enough to result in crop failure. For this reason, efforts were made to take water from the Agano River (called the "Aga River" in Fukushima) which has an abundant flow rate of about eight times (395.86 tons per second) that of the average flow rate of the Abukuma River. In the Meiji period, the Azumi Canal was completed in 1882 bring water to the area from Lake Inawashiro, and momentum began to promote use of the Agano River to open up new agricultural land. A government project started in 1941, which eventually resulted in the Hatori Dam.The project was suspended by World War II, but was revived in 1950, and the dam was completed in 1956. Water stored at the dam crosses the watershead of the Ōu Mountains via tunnel and is led to the Abukuma River. At the time, it was one of the largest irrigation dams in Japan. The irrigation network continued to be expanded through 1964.

References

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