Hwacheon Dam

The dam was constructed by the Japanese during their occupation of Korea in World War II. The Han River Hydroelectric Company began construction in July 1939 and the dam was complete in October 1944. Several months prior in May, the first generator of the power plant was operational, the second that October. The third generator was operational in 1957 and the last of the four generators was installed in 1968.{{cite web|title=Hwacheon Dam |url=http://tour.ihc.go.kr/tour/tour_view.asp?menu=tour&submenu=main¶midx=TL0000039 |publisher=Hawcheon-gun |access-date=5 August 2011 |language=ko |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328131540/http://tour.ihc.go.kr/tour/tour_view.asp?menu=tour&submenu=main¶midx=TL0000039 |archive-date=28 March 2012}} Before the upstream Peace Dam was completed in 2005, the Hwacheon Dam served as the first line-of-defense for a collapse or excess discharge from the Imnam Dam in North Korea.{{cite book|last=Hyŏn|first=In-tʻaek|title=The environmental dimension of Asian security: conflict and cooperation over energy, resources, and pollution|year=2007|publisher=US Institute of Peace Press|isbn=978-1-929223-73-2|pages=196–197|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qVciKjS6C44C&pg=PA196|author2=Miranda Alice Schreurs|access-date=5 August 2011}}

At midnight 8 April 1951, North Korean and Chinese forces released excess water from the dam's spillway which disabled five floating bridges of the United Nations Command downstream.{{cite book|last=Gleick|first=Peter H.|author-link=Peter Gleick|title=The world's water: the biennial report on freshwater resources|year=2000|publisher=Island Press|isbn=1-55963-792-7|url=https://archive.org/details/worldswater200020000glei|url-access=registration|quote=Hwachon dam meter.|access-date=5 August 2011|page=[https://archive.org/details/worldswater200020000glei/page/185 185]}} The dam was previously assessed as a problem and key facility in the area due to its hydroelectric power and ability to cause floods and droughts downstream areas. Capturing or disabling it became key. On 9 April, the 7th Cavalry Regiment, already executing Operation Rugged in the area, were charged with capturing the dam but were unsuccessful after encountering stiff defense.{{cite book|last=Daily|first=Edward L.|title="Skirmish" red, white and blue: the history of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, 1945–1953|year=1992|publisher=Turner Publishing Company|isbn=1-56311-088-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eOxdB02xqxgC&pg=PA96|pages=96–98}}{{cite book|last=Boose|first=Donald W. Jr.|title=Over the beach: US Army amphibious operations in the Korean War|year=2008|publisher=Combat Studies Institute Press|location=Fort Leavenworth, Kan.|isbn=978-0-9801236-7-8|pages=271–275|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HGlEGF2O8z0C&pg=PA271}} Between 16 and 21 April, Allies had secured the dam but were repelled by Chinese counterattack before being able to destroy the dam's floodgates. After B-29s failed to neutralize the dam, on 30 April, Skyraiders fired Tiny Tim rockets at and dropped a pair of 2,000-pound bombs on the dam, puncturing one spillway gate.{{cite book|last=Edwards|first=Paul M.|title=Korean War almanac|year=2006|publisher=Facts on File|location=New York|isbn=0-8160-6037-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816060375/page/191 191]–200|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816060375|url-access=registration|quote=Hwa chon Dam capture.|edition=1.}} On 1 May, Air Group 19 assaulted the dam with eight Skyraiders that were equipped with Mk 13 torpedoes and escorted by twelve Corsairs. Seven of eight torpedoes struck the dam and six exploded. The attack alleviated the dam as a flood threat, destroying one sluice gate and damaging several others.{{cite book|last=Hallion|first=Richard P.|title=The naval air war in Korea|year=2011|publisher=University of Alabama Press|location=Tuscaloosa|isbn=978-0-8173-5658-3|pages=120–122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TLVnjOU1lf4C&pg=PA121}} One of the participating U.S. Navy squadrons, VA-195 was renamed from Tigers to Dambusters.{{cite book|last=Sears|first=David|title=Such men as these: the story of the Navy pilots who flew the deadly skies over Korea|year=2010|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=978-0-306-81851-6|pages=164|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_mTyQcDju0C&pg=PA160}}

This raid constitutes {{as of|1951|alt=the last time globally}} that an aerial torpedo was used against a surface target,{{cite book|last=Polmar|first=Norman|title=One hundred years of world military aircraft|year=2004|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, MD|isbn=1-59114-686-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_v6d0/page/293 293]|url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_v6d0|url-access=registration|quote=hwachon dam surface target.|author2=Bell, Dana}}{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Robert F. Dorr, Warren|title=Korean air war|year=2003|publisher=Motorbooks International|location=St. Paul, MN|isbn=0-7603-1511-6|pages=75|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bvyEpFNGIbcC&pg=PA75}} and was the only time torpedoes were used in the Korean War.{{cite web|title=The War Stabilizes, 25 January – 30 June 1951 |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/kowar/51-stab/51-stab.htm |publisher=Department of The Navy – Naval Historical Center |access-date=5 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127212752/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/kowar/51-stab/51-stab.htm |archive-date=27 January 2012}}{{cite book|last=Hearn|first=Chester G.|title=Carriers in combat: the air war at sea|year=2007|publisher=Stackpole Books|location=Mechanicsburg, PA|isbn=978-0-8117-3398-4|pages=239|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sg8ivuKMD5cC&pg=PA239}}

File:Hwacheon Dam NASA WorldWind.png

The dam is a {{Convert|78|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall and {{Convert|435|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long concrete gravity-type. The dam sits at the head of a {{Convert|3901|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} catchment area and its reservoir has a gross capacity of {{Convert|1018000000|m3|acre.ft|0|abbr=on}}. Of this capacity, 809 million m³ can be regulated and 213 million m³ is used for flood control. The reservoir's surface area is {{Convert|38.9|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}. The dam's spillway is controlled by 16 sluice gates and has a maximum discharge capacity of {{Convert|5428|m3/s|ft3/s|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite journal|last=Kim|first=Taesoon|date=2006|title=Multireservoir system optimization in the Han River basin using multi-objective genetic algorithms|journal=Hydrological Processes|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.|volume=20|issue=9|pages=2057–2075|doi=10.1002/hyp.6047|author2=Jun-Haeng Heo|author3=Chang-Sam Jeong|bibcode=2006HyPr...20.2057K |s2cid=140613009 }} The dam's power station is located {{Convert|2.5|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} southwest of the dam at {{Coord|38|05|56|N|127|45|44|E|name=Hwacheon Dan Power Station}}, just over a ridge. The power station contains four 27 MW turbine-generators and has an effective hydraulic head of {{Convert|74.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.

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{{stack|{{Portal|South Korea|Water|Renewable energy}}}}

• List of power stations in South Korea
• Sup'ung Dam

{{reflist}}

Category:Dams in South Korea

Category:Hydroelectric power stations in South Korea

Category:Buildings and structures in Gangwon Province, South Korea

Category:Gravity dams

Category:Military operations of the Korean War

Category:Dams completed in 1944

Category:Economy of Korea under Japanese rule

Category:Buildings and structures of Korea under Japanese rule

Category:1944 establishments in Korea