Page "Lake Marathon" Paragraph 2

The dam has a maximum height ( from foundation to crest ) of 54 m, a maximum width of 28 m at the base and 4. 5 m at the crest.

Its length is 285 m. The crest is 227 m above sea level, the toe is 173 m above sea level, and the spilway is 223 m above sea level.

The spillway disgorges 520 m³ / s.

The dam is constructed from concrete and is a gravity dam.

It is unique worldwide because its external cladding of white pentelikon marble is the same marble used in construction of the Parthenon and the other buildings in the Acropolis.

The dam was constructed by the American firm ULEN ( which had, in a BOT type contract, the ownership of the water supply company of Athens until 1974 ).

It was constructed to meet the increased water demand caused by the rapid population increase in the Athens area following the huge influx of refugees from Asia Minor during and after the end of Greco-Turkish War ( 1919 – 1922 ).

The construction lasted from 1926 to 1929.