Guajataca Lake

Guajataca Lake, or Lago Guajataca, is a reservoir of the Guajataca River 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, and receives most of its water from the Rio Guajataca and Rio Chiquito de Cibao rivers. The lake primarily functions as a water reservoir as well as for recreational activities such as boating and fishing. Various species of fish such as peacock bass, largemouth bass, sunfish, perch, catfish, tilapia and threadfin shad can be found in the lake. The Guajataka Scout Reservation partially borders the southern portion of the lake. The dam at Guajataca Lake experienced a structural failure on September 22, 2017, due to the hit from Hurricane Maria.

The reservoir is considered a touristic area.

Guajataca Dam

The Guajataca Dam is an earthen dam is currently used for irrigation and potable water purposes. A hydroelectric power station was built, but not longer in use. The reservoir has a normal surface area of , its length is , its maximum width is , and its maximum discharge is per second. Its normal storage capacity is , and its drainage basin is .

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.

The dam was constructed starting in 1928. The reservoir had an initial storage capacity of , but by 1999 (71 years later), the capacity had been reduced to , as about 13% less, attributed to sediment erosion.
The surface area of the reservoir was in 1999.

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

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. 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". "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." Rosselló ordered the Puerto Rico National Guard and the Police to help assist in the evacuation effort downstream. The dam lies across the Guajataca River to form a reservoir that can hold roughly 11 billion gallons of water.

, the dam was last inspected on October 23, 2013. GUAJATACA DAM: NID Detail Report

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.

Gallery

Lake Guajataca in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico.jpg, Lake Guajataca in San Sebastián
170927-Z-CD688-257 (23527444578).jpg, Damaged spillway, September 27
Pennsylvania National Guard (37619769861).jpg, Pennsylvania National Guard working to stabilize the structure
Pennsylvania National Guard (37619734851).jpg, A Chinook lifting a big sandbag to reinforce the spillway, October 9
Pennsylvania National Guard (23766760568).jpg, Pennsylvania National Guard
Pennsylvania National Guard (37587475852).jpg, USACE and Pennsylvania National Guard working to stabilize the structure, October 9

See also

* List of dams and reservoirs in Puerto Rico

References

{{Authority control

2017 in Puerto Rico
Dam failures in the United States
Isabela, Puerto Rico
Reservoirs in Puerto Rico
San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
United States Army Corps of Engineers
2017 disasters in the United States
September 2017 events in the United States