It is the tallest dam in the country and the center-piece of the East–West Transvase System.

The project is still under construction[citation needed] but when complete it will comprise six reservoirs and hundreds of miles of canals and pipes.

The project originally began in the 1980s but stalled due to economic problems.

It since restarted in 2005 under the supervision of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces.

The first phase was complete in 2009 and the Melones Dam was finished in 2011.