Puntos de Interés
Infrastructure
The Almendra Dam and Reservoir
The Villarino power station, in conjunction with the Almendra dam and reservoir, constitutes the Salto de Villarino, one of the hydroelectric complexes forming part of the Saltos del Duero macro-project, which is one of the largest civil engineering works in Spain.
In particular, the Almendra dam is the tallest, reaching a height of 202 metres at its crest. The reservoir associated with it is the third largest in terms of capacity, with a capacity of up to 2,630 m3. It is one of the largest reservoirs in the world, with an area of 8,650 hectares that can be flooded.
In its final stretch, the river Tormes is responsible for supplying water to the reservoir, which in turn is distributed across 10 municipalities divided between the provinces of Zamora and Salamanca. The municipality of Almendra was selected to baptise this artificial reservoir.
The design of the dam was entrusted to the civil engineer and designer of other public works Pedro María de Guinea and the agricultural engineer Ángel Galíndez. The construction of the building commenced in 1963 with an initial budget of 4,000 million pesetas, and was completed on 24 November 1970, at which time the building was officially inaugurated. Pedro María de Guinea confronted the most significant challenge of his professional career. The dam had to withstand the force of a substantial waterfall and retain a considerable volume of water, necessitating the use of 2,188,000m³ of concrete to reinforce the dam and the two check dams on either side of the reservoir. To achieve this, he employed the design of a vault dam extended by two dykes: one with buttresses on the left bank in Salamanca and the other with a breakwater with an asphalt screen on the right bank in Zamora. Although the project was ultimately a success, it was not without social controversy. To facilitate the construction of the reservoir, the town of Argusino (Zamora) had to be deliberately flooded, resulting in the relocation of its 400 inhabitants to the neighbouring towns of Villar del Buey and Salce.
In its historical context, the waters of the reservoir also submerged a significant area of holm oak and ash groves. Furthermore, the large dam's impressive waterfall represented an insurmountable barrier for fish populations. However, over time, a new aquatic habitat developed on the granite bed of the Almendra reservoir from the underwater vegetation, and gradually began to support small introduced populations of large fish such as pike (Esox lucius), black bass (Micropterus salmoides) and pike perch (Sander lucioperca). To feed these predators, bleaks (Alburnus alburnus) were also introduced, which contributed to the displacement of native populations of barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei). For these reasons, the Almendra reservoir is currently an attractive location for sport fishing, where an experienced angler can potentially land large trophies.