About Odeleite Dam

Odeleite dam is located in the eastern Algarve on the river Odeleite, a tributary of the Guadiana. Completed in 1997, the gravity dam stands 64 metres tall and holds 130 million cubic metres. The reservoir serves primarily for water supply to the eastern Algarve municipalities and irrigation. When seen from above or satellite imagery, the reservoir's distinctive branching shape has earned it the nickname 'Blue Dragon Lake' due to its serpentine form through the narrow valleys. The surrounding countryside of gentle hills covered with cistus and carob trees is part of the Serra do Caldeirão, one of the least developed areas of southern Portugal.