Hálslón Reservoir
Encyclopedia
The Hálslón Reservoir is a storage reservoir
in Eastern Iceland
on the Jökulsá á Dal River. The reservoir stores water for use in hydroelectricity
production with the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Project
. The reservoir was formed by three different concrete
-face, rock-fill embankment dam
dams; Kárahnjúkastífla Dam, the Desjarárstífla Dam and the Sauðárdalsstífla Dam.
Water used for hydroelectricity production in the reservoir is discharged in the Jökulsá í Fljótsdal River to the northeast.
voted to give a large area around the dam park status, thereby protecting it. The area covers one-tenth of Iceland's surface area.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Eastern Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
on the Jökulsá á Dal River. The reservoir stores water for use in hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
production with the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Project
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Project
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant is a hydroelectric power plant in eastern Iceland designed to produce 4,600 GWh annually for Alcoa's Fjardaál aluminum smelter to the east in Reyðarfjörður. The project, named after nearby Mount Kárahnjúkur, involves damming the Jökulsá á Dal River and the Jökulsá...
. The reservoir was formed by three different concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
-face, rock-fill embankment dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
dams; Kárahnjúkastífla Dam, the Desjarárstífla Dam and the Sauðárdalsstífla Dam.
Dams
The Kárahnjúkastífla Dam is 193m tall, 730m long and straddles the river. It is made of 8.5 million cubic meters of material making it the largest dam of its type in Europe. Construction on the dam began in April 2003 and was completed in November 2006. The Kárahnjúkastífla Dam does not create the reservoir alone as the dam is higher in elevation than two valleys that flank the river valley. To create the desired level, axillary or saddle dams were built. The 60m tall and 1,000m long Desjarárstífla Dam is adjacent and to the east of the Kárahnjúkastífla Dam. The Sauðárdalsstífla Dam is 4 km to the southwest, 25m tall and 1,100m long. Both auxiliary dams were built between April 2004 and October 2006. The reservoir began to fill in September 2006.Water used for hydroelectricity production in the reservoir is discharged in the Jökulsá í Fljótsdal River to the northeast.
Conservation
In January 2005, the Icelandic parliamentAlthing
The Alþingi, anglicised variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national parliament of Iceland. The Althingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world still extant...
voted to give a large area around the dam park status, thereby protecting it. The area covers one-tenth of Iceland's surface area.