Wawa Dam : Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wawa Dam

Dam in Rizal, Philippines

Dam in Rodriguez, Rizal

14°43′40″N 121°11′30″E / 14.72778°N 121.19167°E / 14.72778; 121.19167PurposeWater supply (original)
Recreation (current)Construction began1904Opening date1909Dam and spillwaysType of damArch-gravity damImpoundsMarikina RiverLength280 feet (85 m)SpillwaysOneSpillway typeOgee crestReservoirMaximum water depth13 mNormal elevation57 maslPower StationOperator(s)Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage SystemDecommission date1968

Wawa Dam, also known as Montalban Dam,^[1] is a gravity dam constructed over the Marikina River in the municipality of Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines.^[2] The slightly arched dam is situated in the 360-metre (1,180 ft) high Montalban Gorge or Wawa Gorge,^[3] a water gap in the Sierra Madre Mountains, east of Manila.

Construction of the dam began in 1904, and it became operational in 1909, during the American colonial era, to provide the water needs for Manila.^[4]^[5]^[6]

During World War II, Wawa Dam became the focal point of the battle between the US Army's XI Corps and the Imperial Japanese Army's Shimbu Group. The engagement, also known as the Battle of Wawa Dam saw the opposing sides in a seesaw battle along the Montalban-Antipolo hills from March to May 1945.

Wawa Dam used to be the only source of water for Manila until Angat Dam was built and Wawa was abandoned in 1968.^[7] Due to insufficiency of water supply for Metro Manila, there was a strong clamor to reuse the dam.^[8] The dam and surrounding area is currently protected as part of the Pamitinan Protected Landscape.

The dam is also part of an urban legend called the "River Dam Lady", where Pandora, the soul of a woman who drowned there, drowns people, with firstborn males said to be the usual targets.

References

^ Philippine Commission (1912). "Annual Reports of the U.S. War Department 1912, Vol. IV". Government Printing Office, Washington.
^ "Final List of Watersheds Supporting 140 River Irrigation Systems of the NIA" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, pg. 5. Green Army Network. Retrieved on August 15, 2012.
^ "Wawa Gorge". Google Maps. Retrieved on August 15, 2012.
^ Layug, Benjamin (September 13, 2018). "Legend, history and adventure converge in Wawa | Benjamin Layug". BusinessMirror. Business Mirror. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
^ Philippine Commission (1908) "Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War 1908, Part 1". Government Printing Office, Washington.
^ http://www2.philstar.com/business/558574/mwss-eyes-wawa-dam-for-additional-water-supply ^{[dead link]}
^ "Wawa Dam or Laiban Dam?". January 25, 2010.
^ Cruz, Neal (June 10, 2010). "Probe water agencies on Wawa". Inquirer.net. Retrieved August 16, 2012.