Ömerli Dam

Ömerli Dam (Turkish: Ömerli Barajı) is a rock-fill dam in Istanbul Province, Turkey.[1]

Ömerli Dam
Location of Ömerli Dam in Istanbul
Official name	Ömerli Barajı
Country	Turkey
Coordinates	41.0609°N 29.358°E / 41.0609; 29.358
Purpose	Tap water
Status	Operational
Construction began	1968
Opening date	1973
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earth fill dam
Impounds	Riva Creek
Height (thalweg)	52 m (171 ft)
Dam volume	2,200 dam3 (78,000,000 cu ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Ömerli
Total capacity	386 nm3 (1.36×10−23 cu ft)
Surface area	23 km2 (8.9 sq mi)

Ömerli Dam is located in Çekmeköy district of Istanbul Province. The rock-fill dam was built by the Turkish State Hydraulic Works on the Riva Creek to provide tap water for the city. Construction started in 1968, and the dam went in service in 1973.[1]

The volume of the earth mass used in the dam is 2,200 dam³ (78,000,000 cu ft). The dam has a thalweg height of 52 m (171 ft). It forms the reservoir Lake Ömerli (Turkish: Ömerli Gölü), which has a surface of 23 km² (8.9 sq mi) and water capacity of 386 nm³ (1.36×10⁻²³ cu ft).[1]

In 1999, a sanitation project was launched to protect the reservoir from waste water pollution. In the time span of the last twenty years after the construction of the dam, the surrounding area saw a rapid urbanization that brought the risk of pollution of the reservoir. The project foresaw the collection of waste water by collectors and treatment in sewage plants before emptying into the sea.[2]