Guajataca Lake

Guajataca Lake, or Lago Guajataca, is a reservoir created by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority in 1929. It is located between the municipalities of San Sebastián, Quebradillas, and Isabela in Puerto Rico. The dam at Guajataca Lake experienced a structural failure on September 22, 2017, due to the hit from Hurricane Maria.[3][4][5] The river, Río Guajataca, also carries the name.

Guajataca Lake
LocationSan Sebastián / Quebradillas / Isabela municipalities, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°23′51″N 66°55′26″W
TypeReservoir
Native nameLago Guajataca  (Spanish)
Basin countriesPuerto Rico
Managing agencyPuerto Rico Electric Power Authority
Built1928[1]
First flooded1928[1]
Surface area1.32 square miles (3.4 km2)[1]
Water volume11,000,000,000 US gal (42,000,000 m3)[2]

Guajataca Dam
Guajataca Dam
The dam in August 2007
PurposeIrrigation, Water Supply[2]
Owner(s)Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority[6]
Operator(s)Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority[6]
Dam and spillways
Type of damEarthen[6]
Height (thalweg)120 (feet)[6]
Length984 (feet)[6]
Reservoir
CreatesGuajataca Lake

The Guajataca Dam is an earthen dam[6] used for irrigation and potable water purposes. The reservoir has a normal surface area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 square kilometres), its length is 2.5 miles (4.0 kilometres), its maximum width is 1 mile (1.6 kilometres), and its maximum discharge is 28,954 cubic feet (819.9 cubic metres) per second. Its normal storage capacity is 30,055 acre feet (37 million cubic metres), and its drainage basin is 31 square miles (80 km2).[7]

It is the location of Guajataka Scout Reservation.

Dam construction

The construction of the dam was authorized by act 63 of the Legislature of Puerto Rico, known as the "Isabela public irrigation law," approved April 19, 1919.[8]

The dam was constructed starting in 1928. The reservoir had an initial storage capacity of 39,286 acre feet (48 million cubic metres), but by 1999 (71 years later), the capacity had been reduced to 34,276 acre feet (42 million cubic metres), as about 13% less, attributed to sediment erosion.[9] The surface area of the reservoir was 3.42 km2 (1.32 sq mi) in 1999.[1]

According to the National Inventory of Dams, Guajataca Dam was designed by and is owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.[6]

Guajataca dam failure risk

On September 22, 2017, at 18:10 GMT, following Hurricane Maria, operators at Guajataca Dam announced that the dam's spillway was failing at the northern end of the lake and it could result in the whole dam collapsing.[10] The National Weather Service a few minutes later urged all 70,000 residents in the flood area to be evacuated. The National Weather Service stated the dam was a "life-threatening situation".[11][12][13] "It’s a structural failure. I don’t have any more details," Governor Ricardo Rosselló stated. "We’re trying to evacuate as many people as possible."[13] Rosselló ordered the Puerto Rico National Guard and the Police to help assist in the evacuation effort downstream.[14] The dam lies across the Guajataca River to form a reservoir that can hold roughly 11 billion gallons of water.[15]

As of September 2017, the dam was last inspected on October 23, 2013.[6]

The first phase of repairs to avoid the threat of flooding were completed on November 17, 2017. Since then about 10,000 residents, including farmers, who depend on the waters of the reservoir, have been struggling with the rationing of water. There is confusion and little transparency as to how the issue is being handled. Final repairs will be ongoing, until 2028.[16][17]

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See also

References
  1. Luis R. Soler-López1 (2001). "SEDIMENTATION SURVEY RESULTS of the Principal Water-Supply Reservoirs of Puerto Rico". pr.water.usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. USGS Water Resources of the Caribbean. "TABLE 1. Results of bathymetric surveys of 14 reservoirs in Puerto Rico". Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  2. Puerto Rico Dam Failing; Flash Flood Emergency Declared: "This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION," NWS San Juan said in a tweet. Asher Klein. NBC10-TV. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. 22 September 2017. Access 22 September 2017.
  3. "Lago Guajataca at Damsite". Water Resources of the Caribbean. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  4. Ellis, Ralph. "Puerto Rico dam: Evacuations begin along Guajataca River". CNN. CNN News. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  5. Schmidt, Samantha. "'Thousands of people could die': 70,000 in Puerto Rico urged to evacuate with dam in 'imminent' danger". The Washington Post. Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  6. "GUAJATACA DAM: NID Detail Report" (query). National Inventory of Dams. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  7. "National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II, Regulated Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4's) Permit Application Notice of Intent (NOI)" (PDF). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency- Region II. January 2010: 8. Retrieved 23 September 2017. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. Reily, Emmet Montgomery, Governor of Puerto Rico (1922). Annual Report. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 233–234.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "Lago Guajataca at Damsite". Water Resources of the Caribbean. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  10. "Aid reaches Puerto Rico after Maria as threat from cracked dam recedes". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  11. "Guajataca Dam fails in Puerto Rico, prompting "extremely dangerous" situation". CBS News. CBS News. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  12. "Puerto Rico dam failure "imminent" after Hurricane Maria". BBC World News. BBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  13. "Puerto Rico evacuates 70,000 after dam fails in Hurricane Maria's wake". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  14. Talmazan, Yuliya. "Puerto Rico's Failing Guajataca Dam Endangers Thousands". NBC News. NBC News. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  15. "Damage Assessments, Power Restoration Efforts Begin in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  16. http://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2019/04/government-of-puerto-rico-drained-the-guajataca-dam-at-the-height-of-the-drought/
  17. http://periodismoinvestigativo.com/series/drying-caribbean/
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