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Río de la Plata (Puerto Rico)

Coordinates: 18°28′33″N 66°15′19″W / 18.47583°N 66.25528°W / 18.47583; -66.25528
From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems
For other uses of "Río de la Plata", see Río de la Plata (disambiguation).
La Plata River
Native nameRío de la Plata (Spanish)
Location
CommonwealthPuerto Rico
MunicipalitiesGuayama, Cayey, Comerío, Naranjito, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, and Dorado[1]
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationGuayama, Puerto Rico
Mouth 
 • location
Atlantic Ocean, at Dorado
 • coordinates
18°28′33″N 66°15′19″W / 18.47583°N 66.25528°W / 18.47583; -66.25528
Length46 mi (74 km)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftChiquito, Matón, Usabón, Hondo, [[ Guadiana River (Puerto Rico)|Guadiana]], Cañas and Nuevo
 • rightGuavate, Arroyata and Cuesta Arriba

La Plata River (Spanish: Río de la Plata) is the longest river in Puerto Rico. It is located in the north coast of the island.[1] It flows from south to north, and drains into the Atlantic Ocean about 11 miles (18 km) west of San Juan. The mouth of the river is a resort area with white sandy beaches.[2][3]

Geography

La Plata has a length of approximately 74 kilometres (46 mi)[3] with its origin in the municipality of Guayama, Puerto Rico, at an altitude of approximately 2,625 feet (800 meters) above sea level. It crosses the municipalities of Guayama, Cayey, Comerío, Naranjito, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, and Dorado. It is impounded by dams which hold two reservoirs in its path: Carite Lake and La Plata Lake.[4][5][6] The Comerio hydroelectric dams also impound portions of the river.[7]

There are many crossings of the river,[8] including the Arenas Bridge in Cayey, notable for being a 1894 steel bridge built that is still in use today. It was the longest bridge built in Puerto Rico by the Spanish.[9]: E-12  Another notable bridge that passes over the river is the Jesús Izcoa Moure Bridge,[10] a cable-stayed bridge which straddles the city borders of Naranjito, Toa Alta and Bayamon.

History

Hurricane Maria

The river, which runs through the heart of Comerio, rose more than 3.4 metres (11 ft) on September 20, 2017 (Hurricane Maria) causing major flooding and irreparable destruction to areas along the river.[11] It destroyed the school, the police station, countless homes and businesses in Comerio,[12] and other municipalities along the river.

Flood control project

In mid 2018, the United States Army Corps of Engineers announced it would be undertaking a major flood control project of the river basin, with a $500 million budget.[13] By mid 2019, a project by the USACE to mitigate the flooding risk to Toa Baja by The Plata River had not yet begun.[14]

Cultural references

It is popularly said that Taíno referred to the river as "thoa" which means mother, which itself gave the name to the towns of Toa Alta and Toa Baja located in the mouth of the river to the Atlantic Ocean. The river is referenced on the anthem of the town of Toa Baja.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Río de la Plata (Puerto Rico)
  2. ↑ Soler-López, Luis R. "Sedimentation Survey of Lago La Plata, Puerto Rico, July 2006". USGS National Geologic Map Database. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "La Plata River". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  4. ↑ Suarez, Victor. "Inventario de los ríos más importantes de Puerto Rico" (in español). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Jacksonville District Navigable Waters Lists" (PDF). saj.usace.army.mil. SAJ. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-03-31. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "Los Ríos" (PDF). Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. Puerto Rico: DRNA. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Represa de Comerio P.R." archimages.uprrp.edu (in español). University of Puerto Rico (Río Piedras Campus). School of Architecture Library. 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
  8. ↑ "Cayey Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  9. ↑ Luis Pumarada O'Neill (July 31, 1994). National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico, c. 1840-1950 (pdf). National Park Service.
  10. ↑ "Gobernador inaugura puente atirantado de Naranjito, Noticias Puerto Rico, Noticias Locales, Noticias, AP". July 14, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  11. ↑ Almukhtar, Sarah; Bloch, Matthew; Fessenden, Ford; Patel, Jugal K. (18 September 2017). "Maps: Hurricane Maria's Path Across Puerto Rico" – via NYTimes.com.
  12. ↑ ""El río nos destruyó, pero nos unió" ["The river destroyed us, but united us"]". El Nuevo Día (in español).
  13. ↑ "USACE: $3.348 billion go toward reducing flood risk in Florida, Puerto Rico and USVI". Caribbean Business. 6 July 2018.
  14. ↑ "Moving Forward from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico". Urban Land Magazine. 14 April 2019.
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