Tahodio Dam

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Industrial architecture · Year: 1926 · Authors: Antonio Pintor y Ocete

The Tahodio is the first of the major ravines located on the outskirts of the urban area of Santa Cruz to the north. Its extensive development of almost nine kilometres in length stretches from the high, wooded area located between Pico del Inglés and Monte de Aguirre, to its mouth closed by the impressive cliff of Paso Alto, near the Club Náutico. Its wide basin, which contains the most characteristic features of the Anaga Rural Park, has always been utilised due to the abundance of water that flows through its course for much of the year. 

The first serious attempt to build a dam in this location was made in 1902 when Rafael Calzadilla obtained the necessary authorisations to construct a reservoir capable of storing one million pipas of water. The "Empresa de Embalses de Tahodio" (Tahodio Reservoir Company) was established for this purpose but failed in its attempt, quickly transferring its rights to a new company named "Comunidad de Embalses de Tahodio" (Tahodio Reservoir Community), whose main shareholder, Santiago García Sanabria, made the construction of the required infrastructure possible. Its primary purpose was to store and distribute water for irrigation both to the existing banana plantations in the valley and to the small vegetable gardens located on the terraced slopes.  

The dam project, carried out by architect Antonio Pintor, was approved on 26 July 1914, with construction beginning the following month. The work was carried out with great difficulty because the outbreak of the First World War posed a significant obstacle to the arrival from abroad of the machinery and suitable materials needed to carry out the work. It was not until 1926 that the work was fully completed. 

The Tahodio pond, as it is also known, is located in the middle section of the ravine, about 5 kilometres from its mouth and approximately 250 metres above sea level. The water is retained by means of a large wall 170 metres long, 44 metres high, 39 metres wide at the base and 3 metres at the top; a passage with a metal railing runs along the top. 

It was designed to hold a capacity of 900,000 cubic metres, but currently does not exceed 400,000, due to the mud that has accumulated on its bed over the course of its use.

The Tahodio Dam continues to operate and store runoff water from one of the largest hydrographic basins in Anaga.

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