Lake Luchetti ( Spanish: ''Lago de Luchetti,'' sometimes known as ''Lago de Yauco,'' formerly ''Lago Vegas'') is a reservoir located in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico, in the ''

barrios Barrios is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Agustín Barrios (1885–1944), Paraguayan guitarist and composer *Ángel Barrios (1882–1964), Spanish guitarist and composer *Arturo Barrios (born 1962), Mexican athlet ...

'' of Naranjo and Vegas. The lake was formerly known as the Vegas Lake (''Lago Vegas'') after the barrio it is located in. The lake was created at the junction of the

Naranjo River Naranjo is a Pre-Columbian Maya city in the Petén Basin region of Guatemala. It was occupied from about 500 BC to 950 AD, with its height in the Late Classic Period. The site is part of Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. The city lies along the ...

and some minor streams with the Yauco River under Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority's (PREPA) ''Yauco Project'' in 1959 and revitalized for further

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

use in 1991. The lake is named after

Antonio S. Luchetti Antonio S. Lucchetti (20 January 1888 – 19 December 1958) was a Puerto Rican engineer and public servant, through whom comprehensive electric service was established in Puerto Rico via the Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority (PRWRA) and, l ...

, a Puerto Rican engineer who was vital in the development of the hydroelectrical energy system in Puerto Rico.

Luchetti Wildlife Refuge

The Luchetti Reservoir Wildlife Refuge (''Refugio de Vida Silvestre del Embalse Luchetti'') is a wildlife refuge and outdoors recreational area managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA).

Recreation

Luchetti Reservoir Wildlife Refuge offers visitors opportunities for camping (at the Luchetti Camping Grounds) with facilities such as parking, restrooms, showers, gazebos with picnic areas, and ramps for boating. Fishing is permitted in designated areas. In addition to the camping site and lake, the area offers opportunities for outdoors activities such as hiking and swimming at ''Charco Piazza'', a natural pool formed by waterfalls along the Duey River in ''barrio'' Duey. This pool is great for swimming, and it is often visited when hiking nearby

Pico Rodadero Pico Rodadero, is a mountain of the Cordillera Central in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico. At 2,864 feet (873 m) above sea level, the mountain is the second highest point in Yauco after Mount Membrillo. It is located in a tri-point bounda ...

due to its proximity and location along PR-372 and PR-375 roads.

References

{{Reflist Protected areas of Puerto Rico Reservoirs in Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Puerto Rico Yauco, Puerto Rico

Luchetti Wildlife Refuge

Recreation

See also

References