Loch Mhòr
| Loch Mhòr | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Loch Mhòr  Loch Mhòr | |
| Location | Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 57°14′46″N 4°25′04″W / 57.24611°N 4.41778°W |
Loch Mhòr is a loch in the traditional county of Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Its name literally translates to "Big Loch". It occupies much of the wide floor of Stratherrick which runs roughly parallel to Loch Ness, around 3 mi (4.8 km) to its southeast. A generally shallow body of water 179 m (587 ft) above Loch Ness, Loch Mhòr achieves a depth in excess of 20 m (66 ft) towards its southern end.
Loch Mhòr was originally two separate lochs, Loch Garth in the southwest and Loch Farraline in the northeast. The water level was raised, so it could be used as a reservoir for a hydro-electric scheme and associated aluminium smelter at Foyers. The smelter closed in 1967, but the Loch is still used as a reservoir for a 300 MW pumped-storage hydroelectricity facility.[1] This joined the two lochs into one, though they are still divided by a causeway carrying a minor road. In its middle reaches, a broad and shallow embayment on its southeastern shore contains a scatter of islets.
The main rivers into the Loch are the River E, and some of the flow of the River Fechlin, which has been diverted through an aqueduct.
The waters of the loch empty as the River Gourag below a dam at its southwestern end. This short river joins the River Foyers which empties into Loch Ness.[2]
References
- ^ Foyers Hydro-Electric Power Scheme, Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved: 13 November 2015.
- ^ Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 scale Landranger map sheet 35 Kingussie and 1:25,000 scale Explorer map sheet 416 Inverness, Loch Ness & Culloden
