A water shortage during the summertime on okinawa is almost an annual event. okinawa is a small island and does not have large, wide rivers which are able to supply a great volume of water. Many small dams located mainly in the northern hilly region of okinawa are heavily relied upon to supply the water for daily living, agriculture, and industry.

Fukuchi Dam is the largest. Situated at Kawata, Higashi Village, it was constructed to hold back the upper stream of the Fukuchi River.

The dam project started in 1967 and took five years to complete. It can supply 143,000 tons of water per day. The dam is in the deep forest of the hilly region. During its construction, nature protectionists and scientists warned the builders to preserve the natural beauty seldom seen in other areas. The banks surrounding the dam are covered with azalea plants, which are the representative flowers of Higashi Village.

During March, the blooming season for azaleas, urbanites come to experience the natural beauty of the dam and understand its significance.

This dam, managed by the national government, is held in reserve for when dams managed by the prefectural government have depleted their water supply.