Country China Construction began 1976 | Status Operational | |
 | ||
Location Mei County, Shaanxi Province Purpose Irrigation, municipal water, flood control, power Opening date 1989; 28 years ago (1989) Type of dam Embankment, rock-fill clay-core | ||
The Shitouhe Dam is an embankment dam on the Shitouhe River, a tributary of the Weihe River which flows into the Yellow River, in Mei County of Shaanxi Province, China. The dam serves several purposes to include flood control, hydroelectric power and water supply for irrigation and municipal uses. The 114 m (374 ft) tall rock-fill dam can withhold a reservoir of 147,000,000 m3 (119,000 acre·ft) of which 120,000,000 m3 (97,000 acre·ft) can be used to irrigate the valley below the dam. Approved by China's Ministry of Water Conservancy in 1974, construction started in June 1976. It was completed in 1989. In July 1996, the dam began to supply water to the nearby city of Xi'an. In 2002 the Jinpen Dam to the east was constructed to help provide water to the city as well.