Moyocoya Dam
| Moyocoya Dam | |
|---|---|
 Moyocoya Dam at night | |
| Official name | Moyocoya Dam |
| Location | Itzatlahuitl, Xallipan |
| Purpose | Power, flood control, water storage, recreation |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1932 |
| Opening date | 1939 |
| Construction cost | 61 million Zacapine amatl (49 million Latin solidus) in 1932 |
| Owner(s) | Zacapine government |
| Operator(s) | Roads, Bridges and Dams Administration |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete arch-gravity dam |
| Impounds | Yoliliz river |
| Height | 222 m (728 ft) |
| Length | 380 m (1,250 ft) |
| Elevation at crest | 377 m (1,237 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Width (base) | 200 m (660 ft) |
| Dam volume | 2,480,000 m3 (3,240,000 cu yd) |
| Spillway type | 2 controlled drum gates |
| Spillway capacity | 11,000 m3/s (390,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Seti |
| Total capacity | 40.500 km3 (32,834,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Active capacity | 22.346 km3 (18,116,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Inactive capacity | 18.154 km3 (14,718,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 500,000 km2 (190,000 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 544 km2 (210 sq mi) |
| Maximum length | 175 km (109 mi) |
| Maximum water depth | 200 m (660 ft) |
| Normal elevation | 3,280 m (10,760 ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Electric Network Administration |
| Commission date | 1939–1960 |
| Hydraulic head | 180 m (590 ft) (Max) |
| Turbines |
|
| Installed capacity | 2,538 MW |
| Capacity factor | 29% |
| Annual generation | 6.4 TWh (23 PJ) (2022) |
The Moyocoya Dam is a hydroelectric Arch-gravity dam in the Itzatlahuitl section of the Yoliliz river in the Xallipan Republic of Zacapican. Built between 1932 and 1939, the Moyocoya Dam was the last of the great Xolotecatl era megaprojects to be completed as it was finished almost a full year after the assassination of Xolotecatl Acuixoc in 1938. The dam was proposed by the Public Works Secretary, Achto Moyocoya, who championed the project and rallied political support to push through the many hurtles the dam would face before and during construction. The project would come to bear Secretary Moyocoya's name as a result of his vigorous advocacy. Moyocoya Dam claimed the record of the tallest dam in the world and the largest by internal volume at the time of its completion in 1939, and remains the largest and tallest dam in Zacapican. The dam is widely regarded as a great feat of engineering and an important landmark of northern Zacapican, making it a popular tourist destination as well as a functional piece of infrastructure.
The dam sits just 40 kilometers from the center of Tzopilopan, a city of 1.7 million and the capital of Xallipan. The electricity generated by the dam's 20 turbines is primarily directed towards Tzopilopan and its suburbs, and has served as the main supply of electric power in the region since the turbine halls began operating in 1939, two weeks after the completion of the dam's construction. The reservoir created by the Moyocoya Dam, known as Lake Seti, represents the largest body of water in the arid Xallipan region of the country. This water is not only piped to Tzopilopan and the other settlements of the region for the personal consumption and use of its citizens, but also represents the lifeblood of the region's agriculture and local food supply. The Yoliliz river which the Moyocoya dams is naturally temperamental, prone to heavy seasonal flooding as well as major fluctuations in flow throughout the year. The dam not only provides a means of flood control, protecting the downstream agricultural communities from the summer snowmelt flooding, but also retains water from the summer floods for use in Xallipan during the dry months from April to October when the river runs at a much lower flow level and recedes within its banks.