Bucaná River (Spanish: Río Bucaná) is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bucaná has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of 115 feet (35 m). It forms from the confluence of Río Cerrillos and Río Bayagán.[9][note a] It is also fed by Río Portugues during its southernly run. Río Bucaná used to run for some 29.5 kilometers (18.3 mi)[10] prior to canalization and other diversion work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It now runs for 5.89 miles (9.48 km) to drain into the Caribbean Sea. This river is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.
| Bucaná River | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Río Bucaná, looking north, from Puente de la Avenida Caribe, Barrio Playa, Ponce | |
 | |
| Native name | Río Bucaná (Spanish) |
| Location | |
| Commonwealth | Puerto Rico |
| Municipality | Ponce |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Barrio Machuelo Arriba |
| • coordinates | 17°58′07″N 66°36′00″W / 17.9685786°N 66.5998946°W[1] |
| • elevation | 115 feet (35 m)[4] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Barrio Playa, Caribbean Sea |
• elevation | 0 feet (0 m) (Caribbean Sea) |
| Length | 5.69 miles (9.16 km)[2][3] |
| Basin size | 28.45 sq mi (73.7 km2)[5][6] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Machuelo Abajo Sabanetas Bucaná Playa (Ponce) |
| River system | Río Bucaná |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Rio Portugues[7] |
| • right | Rio Cerrillos[8] |
Tributaries
editRío Bucaná is formed in barrio Machuelo Arriba by the confluence of the Bayagán and Cerrillos rivers.[10] It has two tributaries, Río Portugues and Río Cerrillos.
Course
editRío Bucaná originates in Cordillera Central at Monte Jayuya and runs in a winding fashion to the south receiving feeds from Rio Jauca, Rio Bayagan and Quebrada Guayo.[11] Río Bucaná is channelized from the point it enters the city of Ponce and until it is fed by Rio Portugues (a river that is also channelized) in Barrio Bucaná at the southern tip of Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park.[12] The channelization project started in 1974[13] and was completed in 1997.[14] It was a multimillion-dollar investment, with just the first phase costing $120 million.[15] The river empties into the Caribbean Sea near La Guancha. A section of the river used to run alongside Route 14, near the former Hospital de Distrito (now Hospital San Lucas), but it has since been diverted.[16]
The following table summarizes the course of Río Bucaná in terms of roads crossed. Roads are listed as the river flows from its origin at the confluence of Río Bayagán and Río Cerrillos rivers, located in Barrio Machuelo Arriba, north of the city of Ponce, to its emptying into the Caribbean Sea in Barrio Bucaná in the south (N/A = Data not available):
Uses
editRío Bucaná is largely used for irrigation of crops on the southern plains of Puerto Rico located east of the city of Ponce.[18]
See also
editNotes
edit- 1.^ One reliable source, (Puerto Rico Department of Environmental Resources)[19] dated February 2007, states that this river forms from the confluence of Río Cerrillos and Río Bayagán. However, another reliable source, (Puerto Rico Office of Management and Budget)[20] not dated but using data with dates that fluctuate between 2001 and 2010, shows the river forms from various minor streams, and that Río Cerrillos is a feeder river to Río Bucaná. In this article we are using the first source as the most reliable. Still, given that the U.S. Corps of Engineers has been working in redirecting and canalizing Río Bucaná, the reader is advised that the actual origin of the current river may be one of the two stated above or may well be different yet.
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Río Bucaná
- ^ Los Rios. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. February 2007: P013. Page 2. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Recursos de Agua de Puerto Rico. Ferdinand Quiñones. 2018. Page 3-7. Accessed 3 October 2018.
- ^ Maptest. Archived 18 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. General Purpose Population Data, Census 2000. Unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Área de Tecnología de Información Gubernamental, Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ Los Rios. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. February 2007: P013. Page 2. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Recursos de Agua de Puerto Rico. Ferdinand Quiñones. 2018. Page 3-7. Accessed 3 October 2018.
- ^ Maptest. Archived 18 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. General Purpose Population Data, Census 2000. Unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Área de Tecnología de Información Gubernamental, Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ Maptest. Archived 18 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. General Purpose Population Data, Census 2000. Unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Área de Tecnología de Información Gubernamental, Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ Los Rios. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. February 2007: P013. Page 2. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ a b Projecto Salon Hogar (Estudios Sociales, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Hidrografia). Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Government of the Municipality of Ponce. Periodico "El Señorial". Special issue: Carnaval Ponceño 2013. February 2013. Page 17. Ponce, Puerto Rico.
- ^ The Rivers of Puerto Rico.
- ^ Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 118.
- ^ Proyecto de año: Represa Portugués, Construcción con Ingeniería Extrema. Archived 28 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Planos y Capacets. May–Jun 2011. Page 10. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 118.
- ^ Topographic Map of the City of Ponce.U.S. Geological Survey. 1970. Photorevised 1982. University of Texas Library. Map of old route of river by Route 14/Hospital Distrito. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ National Bridge Inventory Data: Puerto Rico, Ponce. Archived 22 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine James Baughn. BridgeReports.com 2018. Accessed 26 November 2018.
- ^ SAURI v. SAURI. Archived 4 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine(LEAGLE: Debate Cases, Regulations, Statutes, and More) 45 F.2d 90 (1930). United States Circuit Court of Appeals, First Circuit. 26 November 1930. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ Los Rios. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. February 2007: P013. Page 2. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Maptest. Archived 18 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. General Purpose Population Data, Census 2000. Unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Área de Tecnología de Información Gubernamental, Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
