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Chalillo Dam Lake Review

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Chalillo Dam Lake

Category: Bodies of Water
Location: Mountain Pine Ridge

Fodor's Review:

The Chalillo Dam Lake was created in late 2005 by the controversial damming of the Macal River for a power plant. Since then, another dam has been completed and a third dam is under construction. The original 150-foot-high dam with a span width of 420 feet, along with its sisters, destroyed a habitat for endangered species such as the Scarlet Macaw and was opposed by environmentalists in Belize and around the world. It is unknown how many Mayan sites were flooded. However, the dams may eventually have an upside: providing a new lake ecosystem for birds (Scarlet Macaws are still present in the area around the dam) and wildlife, not to mention recreational activities on the reservoir. The lake, which initially flooded some 2,500 acres, will eventually extend some 12 mi (20 km) along the Macal and Raspacula river valleys, in some places over a half-mile wide. As of this writing, however, some of the area looks like a campaign ad against clear-cutting. Submerged logs and debris in the still-filling reservoir and continuing construction on dams mean that the lake and dams are not yet open to the public.

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