The Guaracara River, located in south
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, runs westward approximately 30 km long, out of the
Central Range and drains into the
Gulf of Paria
The Gulf of Paria ( ; es, Golfo de Paria) is a shallow (180 m at its deepest) semi-enclosed inland sea located between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. It separates the two countries ...
. It forms the boundary between the city of
San Fernando (to the south) and the
Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation. In local terms it separates
Marabella
Marabella is a former town in southern Trinidad, between San Fernando (to the south) and Pointe-à-Pierre (to the north). Early 19th-century maps highlighted it as Marabella Junction because of the railway intersection to Williamsville and othe ...
(the northernmost portion of the city) from
Pointe-à-Pierre
Pointe-à-Pierre ( ) is a town in Trinidad and Tobago. It lies north of San Fernando and south of Claxton Bay. It is most famous as the site of the country's largest (and now, only) oil refinery which used to be run by Petrotrin, the state-ow ...
.
The
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
is heavily
polluted
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
, both by non-point
agricultural and
residential run-off from Marabella and the town of
Gasparillo
Gasparillo is a settlement in southern Trinidad. It lies east of Pointe-à-Pierre and northeast of San Fernando. The population is 16,426. The name Gasparillo is applied not only to Gasparillo area, but also the surrounding communities including ...
, and from industrial waste (primarily oily run-off) from the
oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...
at Pointe-a-Pierre owned by
Petrotrin
Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Petrotrin) was a state-owned oil company in Trinidad and Tobago. Its principal activities were the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons in addition to the manufacturing and mar ...
(the state-owned oil company).
Rivers of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad (island)
Gulf of Paria
{{Trinidad-river-stub