~ h cA ; i,1M c/c.£/~d:) A'/:ttjhi/ IFr tf ? f/:),l{/lf.'i INTERNATIONAL Bf.tJK FOR RECONSrrnUCTION AND DEVEWPMENT R E R T oN I R RIG A T ION AND HYDROELECTRIC POWER PROJECTS IN THE ~EBANON H. S. McCrory December 20, 1948 Copy No. --- TABLE ---.-- --- OF CONTENTS Summaa .. • • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • • • .. ... •• 1 Introduction .....,/iI!!. • _ .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 !~rt~~\!2n-froje~t~ • • .. • • • • • • • • .. • • •• 3 Qua~miye • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • •• 4 Baqaa, SUd .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 ~ 0 • 6 Yammou110h 8 .. • • • • • • • • • • • •. • • fit • • • • Akkar e1 Minich • . . • • • • • • •••••• .. 11 The Pla'.n of Kaa • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • 13 Hydroelectric Projects in Lebanon .. • • .. , • •• 16 On the Orontes Ri''iTer • tt • • • • • • • • • " •• 17 The Yammo~~eh Project • • • 0 • • • • • The titan! Hydroelectric Project •• • •• 0 •• 17 The Nahr 11r~'ohim e .. .. • • e • • • • • • • • • • 18 The Nahr El Bared • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • II 19 The Nahr Hasban! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9 • 19 .. i .. su:m.1ARY 1. In Lebanon irrigation has been practiced for many years. The flow" of Lebanese rivers is low in summer and high in winter.. Water supply is quite abundant but records of stream flow are meager. Groll.l1d water is found in various localities, but the amount of water ava.il- able is not known; a geological study to determine the areas underlain by ground water and the amount of water available should therefore be made" Storage of water for summer crops is needed~ 2., In 1948, 44,000 hectares were reported irrigated o Five pro- jects under construction or in the planning stage, when completed" 1'JiII irrigate 40,,000 additional hectares, and it is thought that ultimately another 40,000 hectares can be irrigated" giving a total of 124,000 hectares. J. The location, area, degree of completion and estinated cost of the five projects now planned or under const:cuction, are as follows: Percent Estiraated Location Area Conpleted Cost (hectareS') (;;'L) Qasmiye 5,000 70 9,500,000 Yammouneh 13,000 50 6,300,000 Beqaa Sud 15,000 6,200,000 Akkar e1 Minieh 13,500 6,600,000 Plain of Kaa 6,000 3,300,000 52,500Y 31,900,000 Each project includes some land now irrigated which Ifill be supplied with improved facilities. - ii 4. Of the five projects shovrn, the first is about 70 percent completed and should be finished promptly~ The second is about 50 percent complete, the secondary distribution system supplying water to the land from canals, already built, still awaiting completion~ The amount of underground water available should also be determined before the project is finished. The third and f6urth projects are still in the planning stage, more information about water supp:'y being needed before final plans can be made. Some units with dependable 'iil'ater supply could, hm;ever, be developed~ The fifth project shouJd probably be deferred unitil an agreement is made with Syria 1'ri th regard to the division of the waters of the Orontes River. S. Before the water supplies of Lebanon can be fully utilized, more complete infoIT.1ation with regard to the daily flm..,. of st:i:'eams and springs, over a considerable period, necessa~TO Information 'With regard to underground 1ffater supplies must also obtained .. Arrangements for securing such data should be made and its collection begun at the earliest possible date. 6. A considerable amount of hydroelectric power can be developed from the streams in Lebanon. Besides some srr.a.ll plants, two hydro- electric power plants which develop 16,700 kw. are in operation. 7; As indicated by the following table, projects can be devel- oped on the Orontes Il.iver, the Yammouneh, the Litani, and the l'!ahr Ibrahim~ - iii - HYDROELECTRIC POWER PROJECTS / / Power Developed/' Estimated Cost {h:w) (:bL' Orontes River 5,500 5,000,000 Yamnouneh 2,700 1,300,000 Litani River 50,000 35,000,000 Nahl' Ibrahim 31,100 not available Total 89,300 41,300,000 8. Of the four above-mentioned projects, the Nahr Ibrahim and Yammouneh projects are now under study; a concession is reported to have been granted for the lJahr Ibrahim River project. Besides t:lese, there are possibilities on other streams also. Dependable info::'Tnation on the amount of 'Natel' that can be obtained each day over a period of years is needed for the planning of hydroelect:bic projects; such information is as important for hydro- electric plants as it is for irrigation. -1- INTRODUCTION 9. Irriga tion has been practiced for many centuries in variol1S parts of Lebanon. Traces of ancient irrigation works are found in various places. Only a liInited portion of the available ,vat.er is put to use. Observation indicates that in general land that is irrigated is more productive and that in many localities two or ,more crops a year can be grovm on the same land.. Unirrigated land usually produces only one crop9 The flow of streams is generallJr low in summer, and, if during the period of low flow, the amount of water available for irrigation can be increased by drawing on underground water supplies or stored water, the area of land planted to summer crops can be increased to the great advantage oftha farmers and the commlmity. Even with the most complete development of the water supplies there will not be enough water to irrigate all the land that can be cultivated .. Therefore, water should be used as efficiently as possible for dor'1estic water supply, irrigation and hydroelectric power. 10. Defore the available water supply can be developed in an orderly manner, it is essential that an inventory of the water supply be made. This should show the minimum, maximum and annual flow from streams and springs and the estimated amount of water that can be secured from underground supplies. Arran::;ements should be nade at once to begin securing continuous daily records of floV{ from the principal streams and springs. Such records extending over a consid- erable period of years are essential to the sound planning of domestic water supply" irrigation and hydroelectric projects .. - 2 - 11. It is kn01im that there are good supplies of underground water in various places, but information in regard to the extent of the 8.1'e8S where underground water is present or the amount that can be pllluped is meager. Such supplies are usually not unlinuted and the development should be controlled. A geologist with experience in such work sho~ld be secured to make a study of the underground vmters and to deterrrine the areas where water will be fou..'1d, at what depth and the 8n:ount that can be withdraym each year. These supplies will have much value in increasing the amount of water available for irrigating summer crops. 12, Available stream flow records all shoW a heavy vdnter flow, most of which goes to the sea, It would be beneflcic.l to both irriGa- tion and hydroelectric projects if suitable locations for storing these waters could be found. 13. There is reported to be irrigated in Lebanon, in 1948, 44,000 hectares. The I,:inistry of Public ,;,rorl~s has projects in pl'ogress, and in the planning stage, which Tfill supply water to approximately 40,000 hectares more, and it is thought that there may be water avaj_l- able for another 40,000 hectares, or a total of 124,000 hectares. 14. The water supply of Lebanon, due to the good rainfall on the high mountains, is quite abundant. Viater is available from streams, springs, and underground supplies. The information in regard to the amount of water that can be secured from the different sources of supply is limited. The longest stream flow record is reported to be that of a station on the Litani River, of 21 years duration, Short stream flow records of 3 or 4 years duration are available for some of the other stream~. No systematic records of fluctuation in flow - J - from the numerous springs seem to have been kept. It is lmOllvn that in some locations there is abundant ground water, but very little is kno,'ffi in regard to the location and size of the areas where it can be found, or the amount that can safely be withdrawn and what effect this vrith- drawal might have on other sources of supply. The amount of ground water that is available from a given source usually has a lir~it. On the Nahr Ibrahim, which drains some 340 sq. km. on the vYestern slope of the Lebanon Llountains, the period of' heavy flow occurs frorn Janua.:rJ to June. The low flow begins in July and August, a."ld usually ends in November. On the easte:~n slope of the Lebanon h!ountains, the streams are generally short and flow is intermittent. The uaximurn flow from Lake Yammouneh usually occurs in Lay. 'I'he Beqaa Plain receives water on both sides of the Plain from springs, and some springs are found in the center of the valley, such as Ain Zerha at the head of the Orontes River. On this stream, the lovl flow is said to occur in Decer.,ber .. 15. At Kansoura there is a record of flow in the Litani River that extends from January 1, 1939 to December 31,X9!i.!)" For the 1:10nth of 1iay the Irinimum flow of 7.9 cubic meters occurred in 1941, the w.ax- imum recorded flov, in l>.rlay was 17.8 cubic meters. The minimum flow recorded in the period was 3.0 cubic meters in August 19i~~, the maximum August flowms 3.9 cubic meters. The maximum discharge recorded was 32.5 cubic meters in January 1942. rmUGATION PROJECTS 16. Five major irrigation projects arc now under consideration in Lebanon. They are: -4- COS T Area in Needed to Hectares Spent Finish Total (~L~ (~) Qasmiye 5,000 7,000,000 2,500,000 9,500,000 Beqaa Sud 15,000 6,200,,000 6,200;000 Yammounah 13,000 3,000,,000 3,300,000 6,,30 0,000 Akkar el Minieh 13,500 6,fiOO,000 6>600 , 000 Plain of Kaa 6,000 3,300,000 3,300,000 Total g,500 10,000,000 21,900,000 Qasmiye 17& Qasroiye and Raas el Ain project is planned to irrigate 4,500 hectares by gravity, and 500 hectares by pmnping. The project has been under construction for sorne years o Cost of the project "Then completed is estimated to be hL9,500,000. The part completed or under construction is reported to have cost tL7,000,000. It is estimated that the distri- bution systems and pumping plants which remain to be completed will cost hL2,500,000. This project diverts water from the Lit ani River at a point ab~ut 9 kilometers east of the sea. The diversion canal follows the valley to a point about 2 kilometers from the sea<>, Here the canal divides; one branch runs about 20 kilometers south to irrigate the land along the coasto This part of the project receives water from the Litani River and the spring of Raas el Aine The ot;~r branch of the canal runs 29 kilometers to the north, to a point beyond Saadi, and supplies vlater from the Litan;i. to the coastal plain. The diversion canal and the two branch canals are constructed through very rugged country, and there are numerous tunnels, siphons across water courses, and rock cuts, ",nich have nade construction expensive. The main canals are to be lined with concrete to cut dovm transmission losses. The system is planned to deliver one liter of water per second per hectare, or about 2 inches in depth over the entire area irrigated per week. - 5 - This requires the diversion of 5 cubic neters per second from the tani., The :minimum flow in the Litani at the point of diversion is said never to fall below 8 cubic meters. When the hydroelectric plants are installed on the Litani River, the minimum flow should be eouewhat larger. It is planned to use 800 liters per second from the Raas el Ain" Part of the water of the Raas el Ain now used to operate grist mills. -ilhen electric power becomes available, if the additional water is needed for irrigation, it should be possible to substitute electric motors for the water wheels. The water noVi used to irrig&.te the gardens of Saadi will be diverted to lands to the north of that ci ty " The secondary distribution system on this project, Gnd the pumping plants to supply YTater to the land that is to be irrigated above the canals, have not been constructed.. The distribution system should be completed promptly, as without it, little use of the land or 'water can be made. The pumping plants serving the area to be irrigated with pumped water should be placed under construction as soon as equipli1ent can be purchased and delivered. It will probably be necessary to il~lport pumps, diesel engines or motors, necessary pi~~J' valves reinforcing steel and such other miscellaneous material as may be needed to finish the project. No estirnate of probable needs was supplied. It is estimated that the project, when completed, will cost ~LI,900 per hectare, or al:out $350 per acre.. The project has an excellent water supply, a good climate and soils which, judging from the gardens now developed in the area, are well suited to the production of sub-tropical fruits, vegetables and the staple crops o~ the region. It believed that the cost of this project is reasonable when compa.red with the costs of similar - 6 - projects elsewhere. ilhen it is fully developed, it should transform this now rather sparsely settled section of Lebanon into a heavily populated and rich section. The project has the greater part of the construction work completed. Necessary funds to finish the job should be made available promptly. Beqaa Sud 18. The Beqaa Sud project is a combined drainage and irrigation one. The channel of the Litani Jiver in the southern part of the Beqaa Plain very crookod, and in places too small, and the Plain is usually flooded in the '.tinter and early sprin:;. To remedy this condition, the I.linistry of Public ,Jorks has prepared a plan fOJ: straightening the river, and this 1'[Qrk now being executed. It is expected that 'when the channel straigi1tening project is completed, it will larGely remedy present difficulties from flooding in t!1e Plain. The work should be completed in 19490 The preparation of ple.us for the irrigation project for this area of 15,000 hectares has been delayed pending the completion of the drainase projecto It is said that the flow of the Litani ~tiver at the station near the southern boundary of the project has never fallen belo\v hoo cubic meters per second in IIEay, or 202 cubic llleters per second in August, There are springs, part of whose waters are now used in irrigation, v:hich supply water to the area. There is .2.1so an undetermined ar:J.ount of under- ground water in this region. The preliminar'J estimate of the Linistry of Public Horks is that the project for drainage and irriGation can be completed for ~L6,200,000. ',,Then cor:struction plans are made, this estimate of cost may be changed. It is desirable that measurements - 7- of the flow of the various sources of vrater in this region be made so that the amount of w'ater they discharge throughout the year may be kno'lm, and also it should be determined how much their discharge fluctuates from year to year. There should also be a systel;la tic geological study of the underground waters to determine the areas where it occurs, and at what depth, and the amount of water that may be safely vflthdrarm each year. 11uch more complete information, in regard to the amount of water that is available for use each year, and its location, is needed before the project can be designed for 15,000 hectares with the assurance that there is an adequate water supply available. 19. Considerable land in the Beqaa Sud is now fanned. Part of it is under irrigation, and steps should be taken to determine O1imer- ship of existing vlater riGhts a.'1d land, so that this problem will be settled before design and construction of the project is under- taken.. This area is well suited to the crops of the reGion. The average annual rainfall is from 400 to 700 millimeters per yea'!:', nearly all of which occurs from the late fall to early spring. Late spring and summer are dFf and hot. Irrig~tion will be very' useful in securing yields, especially of late sunmer crops, and in years of scanty precipitation. Probably some additional crops not now grown under rainfal:::", such as maize, cotton, or sugar beets, can be grolfm to advantage", The project should be pla.'1ned to use the available dependable water supplies.. The 'lNinter flooding indicates that there are flood wuters from the mountains entering the area, and the possibility of finding places to store part or all of this flood water should be studied. A supply of stored water for this project - 8 - would be most useful in its operation during the time when demands for irrigation water are at their peak. Such storages, if located in the right place, would also be very helpful in preventing winter floods in the plain. This is potentially a good project, but, before final plans for the entire area are prepared, definite information about the water supply, extending over a period of several years, is needed. The ovmership of e~dstinG water rights and of the land should also be determined before construction of the project is begun. It might be possible to develop the projects in units, building first those units for 'I'"hich there is a certain '1rater supply. Estimate of cost and plans for each unit should be submitted when a loan is requested .. Yammouneh 20. This project was planned to irrigate sone IJ,COO hectares of the Plain of Baalbeck nith the water from Lake Yanrmouneh and from under- groundwater supplies. The irriGation systen as planned consists of a canal from Lake Yamr,lOuneh to the chute. At the cbute, tho water drops 250 meters, and is then put into the irrigation canal. The irrization system as planned consists of a main canal which runs north and south along the western elice of the project from a point north~·rest of the village Chlifa where the chute discharges water~ The northern canal is about 2 kilometers long, the southern canal about 8 kilometers. At the divide in the Plr,in between the waters of the Li tani and the Orontes Rivers, a canal takes from the western canal and runs east across the plain about 1.4 kilometers, At its eastern extension, - 9 - canals are to run north about 4 kilometers and south about 4-1/2 kilometers. From these canals the distribution system will carry the water to the land. The water from the Lake varies in amount from an average of 5.2 cubic meters per second in hay to about .84 cubic meters per second in October and November. It is planned to irrigate part of the Plain lying east of and above the ca~als alon~ ~~e east side from underground water which is known to exist in this area. The possibil- ity of making Lake Yammouneh a storage reservoir is under oonsideration. This, if feasible, would permit the storing of the water at times lvhen it is not needed for irrigation and its later use for irrigation and power" It is planned to build a hydroelectric plant at the chute and utilize the fall of some 250 meters to produce electric power. It was said that a Swiss engineering company was studying the power project. The tunnel and canal from the Lake and the principal canals on the west side of the project and the transverse c2.nal have been completed.. 'rhe canals are lined with concrete, the structures are of reinforced con- crete, and workmanship and materials appeared good.. Hork on the pro- ject is suspended until land ownership questions are settle d. A study of the area to determine the possibility of stor1ng water in the lMe by a geologist, preferably with exrerience in such studies, should be undertaken. "Wells noVl in use an the project are producing well.. A geological study of the ground water of the area to determine the probable water bearing arfet, its depth and the probable arn01.mt of water that can be developed should be made as soon as possible. r,leasure- ments of the flaw from Lake Ya..'nlllouneh and from the various springs tributary to the area to determine the amount and fluctuations in their - 10 - flow should be carried out systematically. Complete informatj.on in regard to the available vater is needed before a decision is rr~de as to maximum size of the project. 21. The soil of this area is good and under irrigation good crops were being produced. That part of the project in the Plain r~ceives limited rain, perhaps an average of from 400 to Sao millimeters Etllx>ua:.ly. Baalbeck, a short distance v.'8st of the area, receives an annu2.1 ave::.'age of 356 millimeters; rr~ak, about 20 kilometers south, an average annual precipitation of 264 millimeters; and Hermel, 50 kilometers north, an average annual precipitation of 250 nulli.l1leters. The r.igher portion of the project on the slope of the mountains receives more rainfall. The summers are very dry and hot. \lhen irrigated, this area should produce excellent yields of the staple crops of the region o 22, The Government of Lebanon has spent ~L3,OOO,OOO on the pro- ject and estimates that it will require ~L3J800,oOO to cO!l:plete ita This estimate also includes an item of *,1800,000, part of which is for drainage.. If the same fOI'Llation as exists at the I:atani estate is found generally over the are" the wells used for producing the under- ground vater VIill probably lovier the ground water sufficiently to make surface drainage works unnecessary. The secondary distribution system for the canals alr,ady const~ucted should be completed as soon as practicable, and the water put to beneficial use~ As soon as the under- ground water survey is completed, the construction of wells to supply underground vmter should be lmdertaken. 23. This is a very good irrigation project which should be devel- oped to utilize all available water, but before the project is developed - 11 - to the maximum extent, there should be several more years of records of the flow from the streams and springs of the area and records of the yield and fluctuation of the level of the underground water at several points. It is most important that the collection of systematic records of the arnount of surface and underground water be started at an early date and a continuous record kept. Akkar el ~,linieh 24. The project for the irr:igation of the Plain of Akkar, which has an area of some laf,OOO hectares, proposes the irrigation of 13,500 hectares at an estimated cost of ~L6,600,ooo. Tlus project receives water from four rivers: the Nahr El Kebir, which, for some distance, is the boundary bet'.!feen Syria and Lebai'1on; the Nahr Ostonene, the Uahr Arka, and the Nahr El Bared. Some small intermittent "'irater courses discharge their water into the Plain, and their water either disappears into the soil, or reaches one of the rivers. The soils on the project are varied, ranging on a sandy loam near the cost to loams and clay soils in the foothills" Crops under irrigation in this area, as observed in September 1948, were, in general, good.. In January 1948, i t was said tha t some of the land near the coast in this General area needed. drain- age. The Horns Gap is directly 'west of the plain and it is said that there are strong winds on the plain. The average annual precipitation at Balba, on the eastern edge, is 853 liu.l. ~,~ost of the precipitation comes froTI October to April. Little rain normally occurs from I~ay to September, inclusive. The records of stream flow in this region are meager. Considerable land is now irrigated in the plain. -~Jater in considerable amounts is diverted from the various streams for irrigation, .. 12 - and on the Nahr El Bared there is a concession for a hydro-electric power plant. From the observations which could be made in the field, it appeared that the existing irrigation systems were not too efficient. The Government has constructed part of one canal that h8.s been planned. 25.. Before an extensive construction prograIil is undertaken in this area, certain things should be done. First, stations for meaS'.lr- ing stream flow should be installed on the four main streams, and a study should also be made of the flow from any springs that supply v,ater to the area, to deternine the amount of their flow and the variations in flow from month to month and year to year. An investiGation should also be made to determine the amount of vrater delivered to the area by torrents and intermittent streams. A geological study of the under- ground water, to determine the area where it is found, and at what depth, and the probable amounts that can safely be 'Yithdravm, should be made. The ownership of the land, and of existing water rights should be determined if this has not already been done, before con- struction is started. 26. On the Nahr El Kebir there are said to be possible reservoir sites. As this stream is an international stream, an agreement should be reached with Syria in regard to the division of the water of the stream, and, if a reservoir is feasible, of the division of the cost of the reservoir, and the stored water. Plans for further development of the water of this stream should probably be deferred until an agree- ment is reached vii th Syria. The posrl,bility of storage on the Hahr Khrabe should be investigated. Even a small supply of stored 'NateI' for this project would be very useful in its operation~ - 13 - 27. Extensive ','fork in this area should probably be deferred unt.il the ovmership of land and water rights have been definitely established. While this is being done, it should be possible to secure informat:Lon about amounts of surface water that are available from the different sources of supply and to obtain an estimate of the amount of under,;,. ground water that can be pumped each year. The project .. ill have various units and those with the best water suppl;y should be developed first.. Complete development of the project should not be attempted until there is at least a 10-year record of water supply available. 28. The projeot has good soil, climate and water. There is pro- bably more land than there is water for. As some of the area is in need of drainage, it is possible that the water collected by the drains could, by pumping, be used again for irrigation. 29. By constructing modern irrigation systems with lined canals where needed, it should be possible to secure more eff~cient use of the limited water supply thus increasing the area that C2.n be irrigated~ This is a good project and, when it is clear that an assured water supply for a unit is available, it should be constructed as rapidly as plans and esti~ates for the units can be prepared. The Plain of Kaa 30. The Kaa project to irrigate 6,000 hectares at an estij~ted cost of ~LU,600,OOO is located in the northern Beqaa Plain in the north- east corner of Lebanon. The water from the project vrill Come from the Orontes River and the underground supply. It is also proposed to develop a power project on the Orontes. Apparently the two projects should not -14- conflict seriously. J.. short distance below Pont d'Hermel, there is the trace of an ancient canal and tunnel which, at one time , diverted vvater from the Orontes to the Plain of Kaa. A plan is suggested for a pro.5ect which would divert water from the Orontes area over a somevlhat siwilar route to the Plaino> It is estimated that there is a minimum flow of 9 cubic meters in the Orontes River. The minimum amount of water neces- sary is 3 cubic meters. The project is planned to supply 0.5 liters per second per hectare. Part of the Plain 1t{ould be irrigated by gravity flow, and part by pumping from the canal or the underground water supply. 31.. The information about the flow of the Orontes Hiver is meager. A station for measuring the discharge was established for a time near the Pont d'Hermel, and should be reestablished and kept in continuous operation. Systematic ipforraation should also be secured in to the amount of water that is now being diverted from the Orontes River for use in Lebanon. Information should also be obtair.ed in regard to the flow from the various springs in the area. A geological study of the underground water resources of the area should be made, and the extent of the underground w~ter-bearing arra determined, and its fluctu- ations recorded" As the Orontes Iiiver is an international stream, and at present Syria is storing the flow of the River in the Lake of Horns for irrigation, it is probably desirable that an aGreement be arrived at betv:een Syria and Lebanon as to the division of the flow of the Orontes River. Until this agreement is made and it is knoiVD how much water fron the Orontes is available for use in the Lebanon, and how much can be developed from springs and the underground vmter supply, the irrigation project should be held in abeyance. - 15 - 32. The estimated cost of the irrigation system is higher than those in the Beqaa Sud or on the Plain of Akkar. Vfuen detailed plans are made for the project, it may be possible to find ,'lays of reducing the cost of the project. There is some cultivation in the area, and the crops that were being grovffi appeared to be doing quite well. Appar- ently the soil is somewhat more stony than in other parts of the Beqaa; but it is sufficiently good to warrant the ultimate development of this area to use all available water. OTHill IRIUGA TION POSSIBILITIES 33. In the mountains and foothills there are many small inter- mittent w"ater courses and springs ,,;hose waters are used for irrigation. It is possible that if these areas were studied, ways for using the water more effectively, or sites for small storage reservoirs, could be found, the water from which could be used to develop areas not now regularly irrigated. Such areas would be useful in supplying food and forage to the region in which they are located. 34. As irrigation projects are developed and the land placed in use, it will be necessary for the Government to receive from the land- owners payment for the water supplied to the land. It is understood that this matter has been under study. A decision should be made by the proper agency of the Governnent as to the plan for recovering the cost of the various projects and the annual cost of supplying 1vater to the land. Cost of the projects per hectare of lcmd served vrill vary, as will the value of the crops produced. If additional Je gal authority is needed, it should oe obtained before the projects are placed in operation. - 16 - ,HYDROELBCTRIC POWER PROJECTS 35. There is an opportunity to develop a considerable CLlTlOunt of hydroelectric power on the streams in Lebanon. It is probable that the use of water for domestic water supp~ and for irrigation should tW{e precedence over use for hydroelectric power, but there are some streams, and some places on other strerms, where power projects are possible. 36. There are t".,o hydroelectric plants of considerable size in operation; one develops 7,900 !err., and supplies Beirut 'tlith about one- half the electric power that it requires; the other, developing about 8,800 :!<:'vv., supplies most of thB electric power requirements of the Tripoli area. A plant of moderate size, developing 700 kw .. , supplies Zahle "With electric power. There are several other small plants scattered over the country. 37. The lanistry of Public norks supplied LYlforrnation in regard to the following streams where hydroelectric powel' projects can be developed: -- Hydroelectric Projects in Lebanon I Capacity of Estimated Estimated Pr0posed Annual Cost of Construction Location Plant Production Construction Cost pe;::o kw .. h" (kw .. ) (thou. kwoh.) --r~L) (bL) Orontes S,500 44,000 5,000,000 900 Yammouneh 2,700 18,600 1,300,000 480 Litani 50,000 420,000 J5,000~000 700 Totals 58,200 482,60q 41,300,000 Source: Lebanese Government. - 17 - 38~ On the Orontes River, near the PontdlHermel, there is an available fall of 64 meters; the flow of the stream varies from 8 cubic meters to 12 cubic meters. It is proposed to install a 5,SOO k','l. plant which will produce annually 4h,000;000 kwh. The cost of the pro- ject is estimated at 5;000,000 Lebanese pounds, or 900 Lebanese pounds per kwh. The low flow of this stream comes in December, at a time v:hen most of the other hydroelectric plants in Lebanon would have ample li,ater. The water from this plant apparently can be used for irrigation after it has been used to generate electric power. 39. !~e Ya~mouneh project has an excellent site for a hydro- electric plant.. This project would use the vrater that is later used for irrigation on the Lake Yarwouneh irrigation project Q The works bringing the water from the Lake to the penstock are completed. 'Ihe available fall is 250 meters, The minimum flow is said to be 0.8 cubj.c meters per second~ If it is fOlIDd that water can be stored in lake Yammouneh, the minimum flow probably could be increased. Through much of the year the flow is considerably above the minimum, It is proposed to install a 2,700 kw plant which will produce annually 18,600,000 kwh; The cost of the project is estimated to be ~Ll,3CO,OOO, or ~L482 per kwh.. This plant is about 10 miles south of Eadischa, where the high tension line from Tripoli no"Y'[ ends.. ."hen arrangements are made for money with which to construct this plant, the cost of necessary trans- mission lines and transformers should be included as a necessary part of the plant. 40. The Litani hydroelectric project is located south of the Beqaa Plain, in a section of the River where there ie little agricultural - 18 - land. Before plans can be made for this project, a geologist sho1.'ld make an investigation of the area to determine the availability of suitable sides for dams and their location. The rock formations in this area have been much shattered, and careful geological study of the site is essential before construction plans are made. The 1c,inistry estimates that there is 510 meters of all available, and t,hat the regulated flow of the River vJill be 14 cubic meters per second. It is proposed to install several hydroelectric plants of a total capacity of 50,000 ~1., at a cost of ~L35,ooo,000, or tL700 per ID~h. This will be the largest power project in Lebanon, and it involves the construc- tion of storage reservoirs to hold the winter flow for use during periods of low run-off, Its construction will also insure an adequate water supply at all times for the Qasmiye irrigation projecto Until the geological studies are cor~leted, no definite planning can be done. It is probable that the project should be developed in units as the power is needed. 41. The Nahr Ibrahim, lying between Tripoli and I3eirut, drains an area of 340 lans., much of ilThich is in the high mOlli"ltains, and is an excellent power stream. There is no opportm1ity to use its waters for irrigation lmtil it reaches the coastal plain, which here is narl'OVf Q A concession h.:~s been granted for the development of pov,rer on the strerun. The Gibb report estinmtes that, with three power plants and a reservoir, 15,450 kw. of firm electric pO"wer can be secured, and that, at maximum output, 33,100 kw. can be produced. They recornmend further detailed studies at the sites of plants numbers 1 and 2, to determine maximum possibilities, and econorrdc feasibility before construction is started. ... 19 - 42. The Nahr D Bared rises in the hitih mountains and has much fall. Information in regard to the flow' of water in the stream is apparently meager. ,-,ome of tne water is used for irri~ation; apparently electrlc power can also be developed on the stream.. Aore definite strea:n flow records are needed, and also ini'orw.ation in re1:;,ard to the present use of water for irrigation before plans for its full development are made'. It was said that a concession had been granted fol.' electric povyer development on the lov:er Bared. 43. The Hahr Hasbani in southwestern Leba.non drains a consider- able area of rugged country about i~=t. 11er'-18l. This reGion has an annual rainfall of from 600 to 1,000 :Til., and there is said to be considerable run-off in the forn of floods. St&tions for lileas'.lring the flow of thi:::. stream should be established so that the possibility of storing the water and using it for developnent of h;i'droelectric pO":er and possibly irrigation can be Given consideration when tl1e need arises. 44. As world eondi tions apjJl'oach nor!Jal, it is possible that mojern thermal generatini:, plants may produce electric power more cheaply per uni t of energy than the more exper.:sive hydroelectric plants. It "\dll prooably always be desiraole to have a certain percenta",8 of energy supplied by thermal stations in order to !lave an assured suppl,y of electric power d-:JI'ing periods of unusuallJ' low ',vater in the strearrs. 4.5. As additional electric pm'Ier plants are needed to supply electric current to Lebanon, there are various sites availaiJle from which the most advantageous can be selected for construction. From the available information, it appears that the hydroelectric plants on the Nahr Thrahim and the Yam.'TJ.ouneh chute should have first consideration - 20 - for construction. There is need for dependable information about stream flow over a considerable period of time, where water supplies are not large and it is desired to use all available water during periods of low flow. This is just as important for hydroelectric plants as for irrigation projects. It is probable tha.t the develop- ment of the hydroelectric projects will extend over a number of years and this should permit the securing of more complete information in regard to water supplY.,Jhere storage reservoirs or large dmns are to be constructed, there should be an examination of geological condi- tions by an experienced Geologist, to designate the most suitable geological locations for the proposed vlorl~s. Low.,.cost power would be very useful to both industry and agriculture~