About Leone Dam

The Leone reservoir impounds a tributary of the Belice river in the province of Palermo, near the town of Bisacquino in the Sicani mountain foothills. Completed in 1971 with a total capacity of 7 million cubic metres, the earthfill dam rises 45 metres above the valley floor. Leone was designed to serve the municipal water needs of communities in the Corleone district and to support modest irrigation in the mid-Belice valley. The reservoir sits in a green valley surrounded by oak woodland and agricultural land, with the silhouette of the Sicani Mountains forming the backdrop. The Belice river system drains a wide area of western Sicily before emptying into the Mediterranean south of Marinella di Selinunte. In 1968 the region suffered the devastating Belice earthquake, and the subsequent reconstruction of valley communities created a renewed demand for reliable water infrastructure of which Leone formed part. The reservoir collaborates with the larger Garcia dam downstream to manage water resources across the Belice catchment.