Originally Posted by
jolihokistix
In a recent satellite shot of the break and flow section, you could see the light-coloured ghost outline of a fairly clear rectangular box-like structure beneath the smoothly flowing water, looking very much like a base.
I have to say I am rather confused about the comments whether this is an earth-dam or reinforced -concrete. The attached link is of the Barrage de Grand'Maison which is France's biggest hydro-electric dam and it is clearly a huge wall of earth with very little neatly-formed concrete structure visible. I don't know if Russian construction techniques are vastly different, but on the basis of this photo and others of Nova Khakovka, Nova Khakovka is clearly a reinforced-concrete dam for me.
https://www.isere.gouv.fr/contenu/te...n_juin2010.pdf