Sameura Dam

33°45′25″N 133°33′00″E / 33.756933°N 133.550125°E / 33.756933; 133.550125Construction began1963Opening date1975Operator(s)Japan Water AgencyDam and spillwaysImpoundsYoshino RiverHeight106 mLength400 mReservoirCreatesLake SameuraTotal capacity316 MLCatchment area472 km²Surface area750 haPower StationInstalled capacity42 MW

The Sameura Dam (早明浦ダム Sameura-damu) is a dam on the Yoshino River on the island of Shikoku, Japan, completed in 1975.^[1] It has the largest storage capacity in Shikoku. The dam holds back a reservoir, named Lake Sameura (さめうら湖 Sameura-ko)

The dam is used for flood control, a source of irrigation, and provides tap water to surrounding areas. It also produces electricity using hydropower. The plant can generate 42 MW.

1994 Grumman A-6 Intruder Incident

• On October 14, 1994, a US Navy training plane, the Grumman A-6 Intruder, crashed near the reservoir.^[2] The A-6 Intruder took off from NAF Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture, and was headed towards MCAS Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The plane crashed on a low-level flight following a river when it got to a bend and couldn't get out. The wing sliced into the water upon a reverse. Both pilots, Lt. Eric A. Hamm and B/N John J. Dunne, Jr., were killed in the crash.

Water Supply Crisis of 2005

• The Sameura Dam supplies water to Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture and Tokushima Prefecture. In 2005, because of little rainfall and a series of dry spells from April to June, the Shikoku Region was hit by a very serious drought and Lake Sameura dried up twice.^[3] Luckily, they could get over this crisis thanks to the heavy rain brought Typhoon Nabi.

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