The earth-rockfill Svartevann dam, constructed between 1973 and 1976, has maximum height of 129 m, crest length of 420 m and total volume of 4. 7 hm**3. Situated at an elevation 900 m above normal sea level, the dam holds the uppermost and largest reservoir of the Sira-Kvina Hydroelectric Scheme in Western Norway. The paper describes the design of the Svartevann dam, the construction methods followed, and the control testing procedures used. Typical results of observations of the dam performance during operation are also presented.