The Weija Dam located on the Densu River in the Greater Accra Region supports the main water treatment plant that serves pipe borne water to Western Accra.
The facility, located at Weija in the Ga South Municipal District, plays a crucial role in providing about 80 per cent of water supply for the surrounding communities and major parts of the capital city, Accra.
The dam, whose construction began in 1974, was completed in 1978.
The facility, initially designed to include a hydroelectric power component, is primarily being used for water supply and flood control rather than hydroelectric power generation, as the power generation aspect has been largely inactive or decommissioned.
The Weija Dam serves as the main source of water supply for the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) which provides potable water for Accra and surrounding areas.
It also helps regulate the flow of the river to prevent flooding downstream.
Within a year, the dam could be spilt a number of times depending on the water level.
Spillage of the Weija Dam is done annually during the rainy season when there is a lot of water flowing from the Eastern parts of the country where the Densu flows.
The Weija Dam is an earthfill type of dam with five concrete spillways which, altogether, is about 60 meters (197 feet) wide.
It is about 12 meters (39 feet) high and 500 meters (1,640 feet) long with a reservoir size of 1.2 square kilometres (0.46 square miles).
Storage capacity is said to be 1.5 million cubic meters, about 530 million gallons.
Source: Graphic Online.
