Futaleufú Dam, Dam in Chubut Province, Argentina
The Futaleufú Dam, officially General San Martín, is a dam on the Futaleufú River in Chubut, Argentina. It forms the Amutui Quimey reservoir and is part of a hydroelectric complex that supplies power to an aluminum plant.
The dam was built between 1971 and 1978 to provide electricity for the ALUAR aluminum plant in Puerto Madryn. In 1995, the operation of the hydroelectric plant was transferred to a private company.
The reservoir's name, Amutui Quimey, comes from the Mapuche language and means Lost Beauty. This name reflects the memory of the valleys that were flooded when the dam was built.
Visitors can reach the dam from Trevelin or Esquel, but access to the reservoir area is limited to daytime hours. It is best to check local conditions before planning a visit, as the site is within a national park.
The reservoir covers what were once four separate lakes, which were merged when the valley was flooded. The dam's crest is 600 meters long and offers a wide view of the surrounding forested slopes.
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