Dam and Lake of Marathon

What I can see

8 kilometers from the town of Marathon lies the eponymous lake and dam, which was constructed at the junction of the rivers Haradros and Varnavas. The lake gathers 41.000.000 cb.m. of water, is 54m deep, and covers an area of ​​2.45sq.km. The dam is 285m long, 54m high, and has a width of 28m. It belongs to the category of gravity dams and has the ability of eliminating 520cb.m. per second. The facade of the dam is covered in Pentelic marble, the same as that of the Parthenon. At the time of its construction, politicians wanted to make a symbolic link between the glamour of classical Athens and the glamour that conferred this important work of modernization in the early decades of the 20th century.

What I can't see

It was built to meet the irrigation needs of Athens. The first attempt to construct the dam (1918) was declared illegal, due to avoidance of competition. After the end of the war with Turkey and the exchange of populations, 1,300,000 refugees came to Greece. Water needs in the capital increased rapidly and construction was accelerated. The project went over budget and for that reason; there was a joint venture between the US company ULEN, the Bank of Athens and the government. At the time of its construction, it was advertised as a huge modernization project of the country. Since the 1960s, water needs have increased due to rapid urbanization, and Athens has also been linked to the Yliki and Mornos lakes. Today the Marathon Lake would meet Athens’ needs for just a few days. The first case of an earthquake (1931) caused by human activity was also recorded here, due to the rapid filling of the reservoir.

Info

• Address: Marathonos Av.

Bibliography