RESERVOIR

` A reservoir is, most broadly, a place or hollow vessel where fluid is kept in
reserve, for later use. Most often, a reservoir refers to an artificial lake, used to
store water for various uses. Reservoirs are created first by building a sturdy
dam, usually out of cement, earth, rock, or a mixture. Once the dam is
completed, a stream is allowed to flow behind it and eventually fill it to capacity.
When such a reservoir is predominantly man-made (rather than being an
adaptation of a natural structure) it may be called a Cistern. The term reservoir is
also often used to describe underground reservoirs such as an oil or water well.

A fully water tower bunded dam has a continuous human made

embankment around its entire perimeter, most commonly using a central clay
core as the waterproof element. The core is held in place by earth or rock piled
either side of it in suitable volumes to resist the outward forces exerted by the
water. The clay is joined directly to the natural underlying material, which itself is
usually clay in order for the dam to be water tight. The reservoir is filled by
mechanical pumps that draw water from an adjacent water course such as a
river.If a water tight roof is added then this dam can then be used for storing
treated water before it goes to the tap and is known as a "Service" reservoir.

The more common dam across a valley relies on naturally formed features
to form the water tight elements. Generally, surveyors have to find river valleys
which are deep and narrow; the valley sides can then act as natural walls. The
best place along the valley for building a dam has to be determined according to
where the dam can best be tied into the valley walls and floor to form a water
tight seal. If necessary, humans have to be re-housed and/or historic sites have
to be moved, e.g. the temples of Abu Simbel before the construction of the
Aswan Dam, creating Lake Nasser in the Nile River, Egypt.