Ohra Dam

Dam in Landkreis Gotha

50°45′55″N 10°43′14″E / 50.7652°N 10.7206°E / 50.7652; 10.7206Construction began1960–1966Dam and spillwaysImpoundsOhra, KernwasserHeight (foundation)59 mHeight (thalweg)55 mLength260 mElevation at crest528.00 mWidth (crest)6 mDam volume950,000 m³ReservoirTotal capacity18.4 M m³Active capacity17.5 M m³Catchment area67.4 km² (33 via diversion channel)Surface area82 haNormal elevation525.00 mPower StationInstalled capacity400 kW

The Ohra Dam (German: Ohra-Talsperre orTalsperre Ohra) is a dam which impounds the Ohra in the German state of Thuringia. It lies on the northern side of the Thuringian Forest in the county of Gotha near the village of Luisenthal.

Description

The Ohra Reservoir is mainly used to store drinking water and supplies over 400,000 inhabitant in Central Thuringia. Its storage volumen is around 18 million m³. The reservoir has retained a near-natural character. In the course of the construction of the dam 20 homes, a saw mill and the old boiler smithy of the village of Schwarzwald were demolished and the road to Oberhof re-routed. The country pub, "Untere Schweizerhütte" had to close due to its location within the reservoir catchment and was also torn down.^[1]

Structures

The barrier is a straight rock-filled dam with a concrete-slab face. In the period leading up to the year 2000, a general maintenance programme was carried out on the dam and its inlet structure.

The water treatment plant is located just below the dam. As well as supplying drinking water, electricity is also generated. The hydropower station is a circular shaft to the side of the dam. To en dem Staudamm. The reservoir has two forebays for preclearing called the Kerngrund and Silbergrund. Their dams have heights of 14.5 and 12 metres respectively.

The inflow to the reservoir is ensured through the use of tunnels diverting water from the Zahme Gera and Schmalwasser.