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The Cerrón Grande Reservoir ( Spanish: ), also known locally as Lake Suchitlán (Spanish: ), is a
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
in northern
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
and the largest body of fresh water in the country. The reservoir was filled between 1973 and 1976, subsequent to the construction of the Cerrón Grande Hydroelectric Dam. The Cerrón Grande Reservoir is among the most polluted bodies of fresh water in
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
.


Name

The reservoir is called Cerrón Grande after the
hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
that formed it, which itself was named after the property it was built on. The reservoir is known locally as Lake Suchitlán (''Lago Suchitlán''). Suchitlán is a
Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
word meaning "Place of Flowers" and was coined by Salvadoran writer Alejandro Cotto.


Geography

The Cerrón Grande Reservoir is located in northern
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
and surrounded by the
departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of Cabañas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlán, and
San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...
. The reservoir's primary inflows are the Acelhuate River and the Lempa River. Its primary outflow is the Lempa River, which flows northwest to southeast. The reservoir has a surface area of , making it the largest body of water in the country.Buckalew 1998, p. 7 The average flow of the Lempa River from the reservoir is about per second.


Ecology and tourism

The lake is populated by twelve of the country's fourteen native fish species as well as by many bird and plant species, making it a popular tourist destination. A site encompassing the lake and its surrounds has been designated an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because it supports significant populations of white-bellied chachalacas, lesser ground-cuckoos, Pacific screech-owls, orange-fronted parakeets, Nutting's flycatchers and white-throated magpie-jays. In 2005, the reservoir was declared a part of the Cerrón Grande Wetland in an effort to preserve the wildlife that live in the reservoir. Common tourist activities on the reservoir include
birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...
, boat rides, and kayaking.


History

In 1973, President
Arturo Armando Molina Arturo Armando Molina Barraza (6 August 1927 – 18 July 2021) was a Salvadoran politician and military officer, who served as President of El Salvador from 1972 to 1977. He was born in San Salvador. He served between 1 July 1972 and 1 July 1 ...
began the construction of the Cerrón Grande Hydroelectric Dam, and it was fully flooded by December 1976. The dam has an output capacity of 135 kilowatts.Buckalew 1998, p. 5Buckalew 1998, p. A–8 The area that was flooded included several villages, fertile farmland, grazing land, and archeological sites of the
Lenca The Lenca,are an Indigenous people from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They historically spoke various dialects of the Lencan languages such as Chilanga, Putun (Potón), and Kotik, but today are nat ...
people; around 12,000 people were displaced from this area, and another 9,000 were relocated in the three Core Relocation settlements. Part of the main road connecting Chalatenango to El Coyolito was flooded and had to be rebuilt, and direct access from Chalatenango to Suchitoto was severed.


Contamination and pollution

According to the International Ecological Engineering Society (IEES), the reservoir is one of the most contaminated and polluted bodies of fresh water in
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
. An investigation by the Salvadoran Association of Human Aid Pro-Vida found high levels of contamination and pollution such as " avy metals, banned
insecticide Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. The major use of insecticides is in agriculture, but they are also used in home and garden settings, i ...
s, cyanides, fecal bacteria, and toxic algae", which negatively affects the health of people and animals living near and around the reservoir. Large amounts of waste are dumped into the reservoir from San Salvador via the Acelhuate River (as much as of feces monthly). Since its creation, the reservoir has transformed into hypertrophic lake, a lake with a high abundance of nutrients, which caused anoxia and reductions in water quality. Toxic substances such as
cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...
and Dieldrin, an insecticide whose importation and distribution (but not usage) was banned by the Salvadoran government in 2000, have been found in abundance in the waters of the reservoir. The
United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
stated that
sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...
, which is caused by
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
, in the reservoir is "dangerously high" and estimated to be around 7 million cubic meters (247 million cubic feet) per year.Buckalew 1998, p. i


Gallery

Lago de Suchitlán.jpg, A boater on the reservoir. Barco saliendo, Puerto San Juan, Lago Suchitlán.jpg, A boat leaving San Juan. Aves migratorias en el Lago Suchitlan.jpg, Birds on the reservoir. Cerrón Grander Reservoir from San Juan.jpg, View of the reservoir from San Juan. Vista al lago desde la cascada.JPG, View of the reservoir from Los Tercios. Vista hacia San Francisco Lempa, Lago Suchitlán.jpg, View of the reservoir from San Francisco Lempa.


See also

* Canton El Tablón – a municipality of Cuscatlán flooded by the reservoir * Lake Ilopango – El Salvador's largest natural lake


References


Citations


Bibliography

*


Further reading

* * {{Authority control Lakes of El Salvador Important Bird Areas of El Salvador Reservoirs in El Salvador 1976 establishments in North America