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Dam in Städteregion Aachen, Kreis Düren From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rur Dam (German: Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel) is a 77.2 metre high dam located in the southwestern part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It was built in 1939 and impounds the Roer to form the Roer Reservoir (Rurstausee or Rursee) which is 7.83 km2 in area. It lies within the districts of Aachen and Düren.
Rur Dam | |
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![]() Aerial shot of the Rur Dam, Schwammenauel and Roer Reservoir with the Tonsberg peninsula (left centre), island of Eichert (centre) and peninsula of Eschauel (rear right) | |
Location | Städteregion Aachen, Kreis Düren |
Coordinates | 50°37′57″N 6°23′55″E |
Construction began | 1934–1938, 1955–1959 and 1961 |
Dam and spillways | |
Impounds | Rur; others see below |
Height (foundation) | 77.2 m (253 ft) |
Height (thalweg) | 69.5 m (228 ft) |
Length | 480 m (1,570 ft) |
Elevation at crest | 284.43 m (933.2 ft) |
Width (crest) | 15 m (49 ft) |
Dam volume | 2.6×10 6 m3 (92×10 6 cu ft) |
Reservoir | |
Total capacity | 203.2×10 6 m3 (7.18×10 9 cu ft) |
Active capacity | incl. Obersee 202.6×10 6 m3 (7.15×10 9 cu ft) |
Catchment area | 288.1 km3 (69.1 cu mi) |
Surface area | 7.83 km2 (3.02 sq mi) |
Maximum length | 10.6 km (6.6 mi) |
Normal elevation | 281.5 m (924 ft) |
The original dam was built between 1934 and 1938 from earth and stone, with an inner lining of loam, coming into service in 1939. During the Second World War, on February 10, 1945, to impede the advance of the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group during Operation Veritable, water was released from the sluice gates; this delayed supportive action (Operation Grenade) by the American Ninth Army for two weeks. Construction from 1955 to 1959 raised the height of the dam by 20 meters to its present height of 77 meters above the riverbed.
The headwaters of the Rur Reservoir, with their length in kilometres (km), according to the Deutsche Grundkarte map (sorted alphabetically):[1]
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