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The Contra
dam (or Verzasca dam) is a
220-meter high arch
hydroelectric dam in the Val
Verzasca, Switzerland. It was
constructed between 1960 and
1965.
The dam forms Lago di Vogorno,
an artificial reservoir. It was
designed by Lombardi
Engineering. Made of concrete,
the structure dams the Verzasca
River and retains over 100
million cubic meters of water.
The builder and owner is
Verzasca SA, an electricity
generator which has an 80-year
concession to expire in 2046.
It generates 105MW of
electricity. The designer, Dr.
Lombardi, considers it one of
his most aesthetically pleasing
dams, primarily because of the
slenderness of the concrete
arch; the smaller volume of
concrete also kept construction
costs low. It is the 25th
tallest dam in the world.
The dam is one of several at
which the filling of the
reservoir has triggered small
earthquakes.
The dam leases access to a
commercial bungee jump operator.
The opening scene of the 1995
James Bond film GoldenEye was
filmed here. The dam doubled as
the fictional Arkhangelsk
Chemical Weapons Facility
located in the northern Soviet
Union during the Cold War.
Contestants bungee jump off the
dam in the first episode of the
14th season of The Amazing Race.
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