Yacoub el Mansour Dam

Yacoub el Mansour Dam
Upstream face and crest of the dam
Yacoub el Mansour Dam Location of Yacoub el Mansour Dam in Morocco
Official name	Barrage Yacoub el Mansour
Country	Morocco
Location	Ouirgane
Coordinates	31°11′23.65″N08°05′17.64″W / 31.1899028°N 8.0882333°W / 31.1899028; -8.0882333
Status	Operational
Opening date	2008
Owner	Office National de L'Electricite (ONE)
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	BCR (bulked concrete rubble)
Impounds	N'fis River
Height	70 m (230 ft)
Length	233 m (764 ft)
Dam volume	330,000 m3 (12,000,000 cu ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity	70×10^6 m3 (57,000 acre⋅ft)

The Yacoub el Mansour Dam (Barrage Yacoub el Mansour) is a BCR (bulked concrete rubble) dam located at Ouirgane on the N'fis River in Al Haouz Province, Morocco. Completed in 2008, the dam is intended to improve the supply of drinking and industrial water to the Marrakech area. ^[1]

History

Plains near Marrakech visible north of the dam

The Takerkoust Dam on the N'Fis river downstream of Ouirgane had provided water to the alluvial plain in the Marrakech area since 1935. Owing to sedimentation, its capacity had been reduced by 20%. To alleviate this problem, it was decided to build a dam at Ouirgane to reduce silt load in the river especially during floods. The Yacoub el Mansour dam was commissioned in 2008. Subsequently, a study in 2009 found that the siltation rate in the Takerkoust reservoir had reduced. ^[2]

Description

The Yacoub el Mansour Dam is a bulked concrete rubble (BCR) dam located in the rural commune of Ouirgane at an elevation of 830 m (2,720 ft). ^[3] It blocks the N'fis river. The height of the dam is 70 m (230 ft) and its crest length is 233 m (764 ft). The dam has a spillway, a bottom outlet, four stepped water intakes and a neck dyke on the right bank. Construction required excavation of 226,000 m³ (296,000 cu yd) earth and pouring of 330,000 m³ (430,000 cu yd) of concrete. ^[1]

Reservoir

North half of the reservoir

View the N'Fis stream at the head of the reservoir

Olive groves and Ouirgane east of the reservoir

The Yacoub el Mansour Reservoir, also known as the Ouirgane Reservoir, has a capacity of 70,000,000 m³ (92,000,000 cu yd). It is designed to increase the water supply to the Marrakech area from 68,000,000 to 85,000,000 m³ (89,000,000 to 111,000,000 cu yd) per year. ^[1] The rural commune of Ouirgane is situated on the east bank of the reservoir. ^[4] The reservoir is a scenic backdrop to Ouirgane. There are hiking trails around the reservoir. ^[5] It provides opportunities for picnics and fishing.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• Morocco portal
• Water portal

• Ouirgane

References

1. "Le barrage Yacoub al Mansour" (in French). Secretariat D'etat Charge de L'eau et de L'environnement. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
2. Gourfi, A.; Daoudia, L.; Rhoujjatib, A.; Benkaddourb, A.; Fagel, N. (28 March 2020). "Use of bathymetry and clay mineralogy of reservoir sediment to reconstruct the recent changes in sediment yields from a mountain catchment in the Western High Atlas region, Morocco". Catena . 191 (104560): 1–13 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
3. "Barrage Yacoub el Mansour". OpenStreetmap . 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
4. "Barrage Yacoub el Mansour". OpenStreetmap . 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
5. Morocco (Revised 2024 ed.). London: Dorling Kindersley. 2002. p. 269. ISBN   978-0-2416-7705-6.