Wettingen Reservoir, reservoir in Switzerland
Wettingen Reservoir is a dam-created body of water on the Limmat River, formed by a concrete and stone structure that holds back the river flow. The water extends across a broad area with paths running along the edges, making it easy to walk and observe from different viewpoints.
The reservoir was built in the early 1930s to store water and control river flow for the local communities. This dam project was an important step for water management and power generation in the Aargau region.
The reservoir is a stop on the Industriekulturpfad Limmat–Wasserschloss, a route marking the industrial history of the Limmat valley. Its power station, run by the Elektrizitätswerk der Stadt Zürich, stands on solid Molasse rock beside the weir, which has four openings. The plant's three turbine-generator groups and a smaller bypass machine produce about 135 million kWh a year.
The reservoir lies in the Limmattal between Würenlos and Wettingen on the right bank and Killwangen and Neuenhof on the left. The weir and machine house stand side by side across the river on solid molasse rock, 50 metres above the railway bridge near Kloster Wettingen. A 600-metre fish ladder, the Fischpass Kraftwerk Wettingen, crosses the dam wall.
The reservoir's water is diverted through an underwater tunnel beneath the Limmat loop below the turbines, increasing the drop available for power generation. The plant's three main machines each produce up to 8 MW, plus a smaller 2.1 MW unit, for 26.1 MW total and about 135 million kWh a year. Because of its technical history, the plant is a stop on the Limmat–Wasserschloss industrial heritage trail.
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