The Story of Green Canyon & the Oymapınar Dam
Over countless millennia the Manavgat River carved a deep gorge through the limestone of the Taurus Mountains. In antiquity this valley held mountain lakes and river bends from which, according to local lore, even the Romans drew their water — fed then, as now, by cold underground springs.
Between 1977 and 1984 the great Oymapınar Dam was built across the river — an arch dam about 185 metres high with a hydroelectric plant of roughly 540 MW. It flooded the valley and created a reservoir of some 470 hectares holding around 300 million cubic metres of spring-fed mountain water.
For years the lake was known mainly to local fishermen. Since around 2000 boat tours have opened it to visitors, and today Green Canyon is one of the most beloved nature excursions on the Turkish Riviera — home to eagles, wild goats and even the rare brown fish owl, and a welcome escape from the summer heat of the coast.
