About Rosamarina Dam

Rosamarina is a large earthfill reservoir on the San Leonardo river in the province of Palermo, completed in 1996 and one of the most recently built of Sicily's major dams. With a capacity of 100 million cubic metres and standing 75 metres tall, Rosamarina was designed to address Palermo's chronic water supply shortfalls by tapping the San Leonardo catchment in the Madonie and Nebrodi mountain foothills. The reservoir supplies drinking water to Palermo and a belt of coastal towns, and it also supports irrigation in the broad valley between the Termini Imerese coast and the Madonie massif. The San Leonardo river drains a diverse landscape of limestone karst, agricultural terraces, and remaining patches of Mediterranean woodland. Rosamarina's relatively recent construction means its infrastructure is in better condition than older Sicilian dams, but it too faces challenges from sedimentation and from the trend towards lower and more erratic rainfall that climate projections suggest will continue through the 21st century. The reservoir has become a significant water body in the landscape, attracting wetland birds and providing a recreational amenity for the surrounding communities.