The Rio Grande de Loíza (
English: ''Great River of Loíza'' or ''Loíza River'') is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in the
main island of
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. It is the largest river in Puerto Rico by discharge volume. Situated on the north coast of the island, it originates in the northeastern
Sierra de Cayey
The Sierra de Cayey ( English: "Cayey Mountains") is one of three subranges of the Cordillera Central mountain range in the main island of Puerto Rico. It is demarcated from the eponymous main subrange of ''Cordillera Central'' by the San Crist� ...
, flowing from south to north, and draining into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
, a few miles east of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to:
* San Juan, Puerto Rico
* San Juan, Argentina
* San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines
San Juan may also refer to:
Places Arge ...
.
''Rio Grande de Loíza'' runs for approximately . It has its origin in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of
San Lorenzo at an altitude of approximately above sea level. It runs through the municipalities of San Lorenzo,
Caguas
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality in central eastern Puerto Rico. Located in the eponymous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Central Mountain Range, it is bordered by San Juan and Trujillo Alto to ...
,
Gurabo,
Trujillo Alto,
Carolina,
Canóvanas and
Loíza, forming the
Loíza Lake
Loíza Lake, or Lago Loíza, is a reservoir located in the municipality of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. It was formed by construction of the Carraízo Dam on the Río Grande de Loíza
The Rio Grande de Loíza (English language, English: ''Gre ...
along its route, making it one of the longest rivers on the island.
Geography
The Rio Grande de Loíza
basin is the largest in Puerto Rico with an area of .
The
source of the river is located in the
Espino barrio of
San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
San Lorenzo (, ; Spanish for "''Saint Lawrence"'') is a San Lorenzo barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas, Puerto Rico, Patillas and Yabucoa, Pu ...
on the eastern slopes of the
Sierra de Cayey
The Sierra de Cayey ( English: "Cayey Mountains") is one of three subranges of the Cordillera Central mountain range in the main island of Puerto Rico. It is demarcated from the eponymous main subrange of ''Cordillera Central'' by the San Crist� ...
mountain range, close to
Carite State Forest. The river flows northeastwardly through the San Lorenzo
batholith
A batholith () is a large mass of intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust. Batholiths are almost always made mostly of felsic or intermediate ...
, a hilly region of
intrusive igneous rock
Igneous rock ( ), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
The magma can be derived from partial ...
, where it meets with the tributaries of
Emajagua
Emajagua is a barrio in the municipality of Maunabo, Puerto Rico with a population of 4,538 in 2010.
Features
The Tunnel is in Emajagua.
History
Emajagua was in Spain's gazetteers until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the ...
and
Cayaguas. From here, the river turns northwest towards the
Caguas Valley where it meets numerous other rivers and creeks including the
Turabo,
Gurabo,
Bairoa and
Cagüitas rivers. North of this, the river is
dammed and flows through the reservoir
Loíza Lake
Loíza Lake, or Lago Loíza, is a reservoir located in the municipality of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. It was formed by construction of the Carraízo Dam on the Río Grande de Loíza
The Rio Grande de Loíza (English language, English: ''Gre ...
(also known as Carraízo Lake, after the
barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
of
Trujillo Alto it is located in). The river finally flows into
San Juan's urban area and the Northern Plain of Puerto Rico where it discharges into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
History
The river is of historical importance due to the number of settlements, cities and towns that were founded along it such as
San Lorenzo,
Caguas
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality in central eastern Puerto Rico. Located in the eponymous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Central Mountain Range, it is bordered by San Juan and Trujillo Alto to ...
and
Trujillo Alto.
In the 1898 ''Military Notes on Puerto Rico'' by the U.S. it is written that the "''limits of the Loisa River are: On the east, the sierra of Luquillo (situated near the northeast corner of the island); on the south, the sierra of Cayey, and on the west, ramifications of the latter. It rises in the northern slopes of the sierra of Cayey, and, running in a northwest direction for the first half of its course and turning to northeast in the second half, it arrives at Loisa, a port on the northern coast, where it discharges its waters into the Atlantic. During the first part of its course, it is known by the name of Cayagua''."
The river was commemorated in a
poem
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
by Puerto Rican poet
Julia de Burgos
Julia Constanza Burgos García (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953), known as Julia de Burgos, was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican poet, journalist, Independence movement in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican independence advocate, and teacher. As an advo ...
.
In mid 2018, the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
Army Corps of Engineers announced it would be undertaking a major
flood control
Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...
project of the river, with a budget of $250 million.
List of features
San Lorenzo
*
Espino
*
Quebrada Honda
*
San Lorenzo (Pueblo)
Gurabo
*
Navarro
Caguas
*
Caguas (Pueblo)
Trujillo Alto
*
Carraízo
*
Loíza Lake
Loíza Lake, or Lago Loíza, is a reservoir located in the municipality of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. It was formed by construction of the Carraízo Dam on the Río Grande de Loíza
The Rio Grande de Loíza (English language, English: ''Gre ...
and
Carraízo Dam
*
Trujillo Alto (Pueblo)
Carolina
*
Carolina (Pueblo)
*
Trujillo Bajo
Canóvanas
*
Canóvanas (Pueblo)
Loíza
*
Loíza (Pueblo)
Gallery
File:Carolina, Puerto Rico - panoramio.jpg, Aerial view of the Loíza River delta in Canóvanas and Loíza.
File:Rio Grande de Loiza (2025).jpg, Loíza River in Canóvanas.
File:Carraízo, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico - panoramio.jpg, View of the river in Carraízo, Trujillo Alto close to the 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 ...
.
File:Hortense flooding.jpg, Flooding of the Loíza River's dam during Hurricane Hortense (1996).
File:2021riograndedeloizadesdejaguas.jpg, Loíza River in the Caguas Valley.
File:ISS016-E-18387 - View of Puerto Rico.jpg, View of the Loíza River in Puerto Rico's northeastern plains from the International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
.
See also
*
Puente de Trujillo Alto: NRHP listing in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
*
List of rivers of Puerto Rico
List of rivers in Puerto Rico ( U.S. Commonwealth), sorted by drainage basin and then alphabetically. There are 47 main rivers and 24 lagoons or reservoirs.
Most of Puerto Rico's rivers originate in the . There are four slopes through which rainw ...
References
External links
USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region (1974)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grande De Loiza, Rio
Rivers of Puerto Rico