Urft Dam

Urft Dam
Aerial photograph of the Urft Dam and Reservoir; in the foreground is the Obersee lake
Location	Kreis Euskirchen
Coordinates	50°36′08″N 6°25′08″E / 50.60222°N 6.41889°E / 50.60222; 6.41889
Construction began	1900 - 1905
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Gravity dam
Impounds	Urft
Height (foundation)	58.5
Height (thalweg)	55
Length	226
Elevation at crest	324
Width (crest)	6
Width (base)	50.5
Dam volume	135000
Reservoir
Total capacity	47.75 million m3
Active capacity	45.51 million m3
Catchment area	326.5 km2
Surface area	2.16 km2
Maximum length	12 km
Normal elevation	322.5 m
Power Station
Operator(s)	Wasserverband Eifel-Rur
Installed capacity	16 MW

The Urft Dam (German: Urfttalsperre) is a 58.50 metre high dam in the southwestern part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It was built in 1905. The dam impounds the River Urft in the district of Euskirchen to create the Urft Reservoir (Urftstausee), 2.16 km² in area. The reservoir is also called the Urftsee (Lake Urft).

The Urft Dam, which was constructed during the period 1900 to 1905, and the Urft Reservoir, which was then the biggest reservoir in Europe, having belonged since 1993 to the Eifel-Rur Water Board (Wasserverband Eifel-Rur).