Lake Qaraoun

Lake Qaraoun
Qaraoun Lake created behind the El Wauroun Dam
Location	Beqaa Valley
Coordinates	33°34′11.63″N 35°41′51.18″E / 33.5698972°N 35.6975500°E / 33.5698972; 35.6975500Coordinates: 33°34′11.63″N 35°41′51.18″E / 33.5698972°N 35.6975500°E / 33.5698972; 35.6975500
Type	Multipurpose reservoir
Primary inflows	Litani River
Primary outflows	Litani River
Catchment area	1,600 km2 (600 sq mi)
Basin countries	Lebanon
Surface area	1,190 hectares (2,940 acres)
Water volume	220×10^6 m3 (0×10^9 cu ft)
Surface elevation	861 metres (2,825 ft)
Settlements	Qaraoun Village, Aitanit, Beirut 76 kilometres (47 mi) away

Lake Qaraoun (Arabic: بحيرة القرعون‎‎ / ALA-LC: Buḥayrat al-Qara‘ūn) is an artificial lake or reservoir located in the southern region of the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. It was created near Qaraoun village in 1959 by building a 61-metre-high (200 ft) concrete-faced rockfill dam (the largest dam in Lebanon) in the middle reaches of the Litani River (longest river in Lebanon). The reservoir has been used for hydropower generation (190 megawatts or 250,000 horsepower), domestic water supply, and for irrigation of 27,500 hectares (68,000 acres).

The annual surface water flow in the Litani River received at Lake Qaraoun is 420 million cubic metres (0 billion cubic feet). This flow is used for generating hydroelectric power of 600 GWh at three hydroelectric power stations at Markaba, Awali and Jun with the total installed capacity of 190 megawatts (250,000 hp). During the dry season, 30 million cubic metres (0 billion cubic feet) of water is diverted from Markaba power station to meet the needs of the Kassmieh irrigation project.

The lake is a habitat for some 20,000 migratory birds which visit it annually.

Note 420 million cubic meters is approximately 15 billion cubic feet or approximately 340,000 acre feet.

The upper Litani River, where the artificial lake or reservoir has been created with the dam at elevation of about 800 metres (2,620 feet), is in the inland region of the Beqaa Valley, whose elevation range generally lies between 650–1,600 metres (2,130–5,250 ft), with mountain peaks raising as high as 3,090 metres (10,140 ft).

The Litani River drains the southern end of the Beqaa Valley plains (a continuation of the Jordan Rift Valley), crossing the southern periphery of the Mount Lebanon range and discharging into the sea north of Tyre, after traversing a length of 170 kilometres (110 miles) entirely in Lebanon. The hydrographical system of Lebanon consisting of 40 major streams is typecast into five regions, which includes the Litani River Basin formed by the Litani River in its eastern and southern part, with the river debouching into the sea at the southwestern end. The basin has a total catchment area of 2,120 square kilometres (820 square miles), which forms 20% area of the country, with about 1,600 km² (600 sq mi) intercepted at Lake Qaraoun by El Wauroun Dam for providing various benefits. The artificial lake is created across the Litani River in its middle reaches. Litani River is the longest river in Lebanon at the southern end of the Beqaa valley.