By Michelle Ducut
The San Roque Dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan, closed its two spill gates on Monday before noon after being opened the previous day to manage the inflow of water caused by Typhoon Pepito (international name Man-yi).
Teresa Serra, flood operation manager of the National Power Corporation-San Roque Dam Office, stated that while inflows from the Ambuklao and Binga dams in Benguet continue, the reservoir has ceased releasing water to store reserves for next year.
“With no significant weather disturbances forecast until the end of November, we decided to terminate the spill operations and allow the reservoir to store water,” Serra explained in a phone interview.
On Sunday, Gates 2A and 2B were opened at 1.5 and 3.5 meters, respectively, at 1 a.m. The openings were increased to 4.5 meters as Pepito unleashed heavy rainfall across Northern Luzon. However, as the storm weakened and moved away, the gates were gradually closed.
As of noontime Monday, the dam’s water level stood at 279.20 meters above sea level (masl), just below its 280 masl spilling level.
The San Roque Dam’s management assured residents downstream that the spill operations were precautionary and conducted to mitigate risks while maintaining the reservoir’s functionality.