Santa Catarina to build Botuverá dam to mitigate flooding

The government of Santa Catarina is initiating the construction of the Botuverá dam in the Itajaí Valley to combat regional flooding. Governor Jorginho Mello and Civil Defense Secretary Fabiano de Souza are scheduled to sign the service order for the project this Thursday.

Located on the Itajaí-Mirim River, the dam will stand 40.8 meters high and feature a crest extension of 124 meters. It is designed to store 20.2 million cubic meters of water and includes two gates capable of releasing up to 250 cubic meters of water per second each. The project aims to regulate river flow and reduce flood peaks for downstream municipalities, including Botuverá, Brusque, Guabiruba, and Itajaí, potentially benefiting over 450,000 people.

The total investment is estimated at R$ 162.8 million, covering construction, supervision, and an environmental plan. The contract was awarded to the Botuverá Construction Consortium, comprising Araxá Engenharia and Ivaí Engenharia de Obras. The project is expected to be completed within 30 months, with 24 months dedicated to physical construction following the initial design phase.