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Carraízo Dam is a concrete
In 2017
Carraízo Dam
on ProyectoSalonHogar
USGS Lago Loíza at Damsite - 50059000
- Carraízo Dam Water Level {{DEFAULTSORT:Carraizo Dam Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico Dams completed in 1953 Dams in Puerto Rico Gravity dams 1953 establishments in Puerto Rico
gravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...
located in the municipality of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Trujillo Alto () is a Trujillo Alto barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico. Located on the northeastern coastal plain on the boundary between the Northern Karst Belt and Sierra de Luquillo, it is north ...
within the flow of the Río Grande de Loíza
The Rio Grande de Loíza (English language, English: ''Great River of Loíza'' or ''Loíza River'') is a river in the Geography of Puerto Rico, main island of Puerto Rico. It is the largest river in Puerto Rico by discharge volume. Situated on th ...
. Its construction was completed in 1953. Carraízo Dam impounds 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 ...
which serves as Puerto Rico's main water reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of water, interrupt ...
.
Background and construction
At the end of the 1940s, thePuerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewers Authority
The Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewers Authority (PRASA; Spanish: ''Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados de Puerto Rico'') is a water company and the government-owned corporation responsible for water quality, management, and supply in Pue ...
(PRASA) proposed the construction of a dam at the Río Grande de Loíza
The Rio Grande de Loíza (English language, English: ''Great River of Loíza'' or ''Loíza River'') is a river in the Geography of Puerto Rico, main island of Puerto Rico. It is the largest river in Puerto Rico by discharge volume. Situated on th ...
in the Barrio Carraízo of Trujillo Alto with the intention of providing both water and electricity to the San Juan Metropolitan Area.
Construction of the dam began in 1950 and finished in 1954. As part of the construction, the dam included three hydroelectric turbines with a total capacity of 3 Megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s for the provision of electricity. However, during the 1960s and 1970s, the turbines were shut down because their operation and maintenance wasn't considered cost-effective versus the cost of buying energy at the time.
In 1989 Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a powerful tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread destruction across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. The eleventh tropical cyclone, eighth Tropical cyclone naming, named st ...
caused overtopping of the dam, thereby flooding the hydroelectric facility and rendering it inoperable. It stayed closed until 2013, when PRASA elected to renovate the facility.
In 2017 Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the ...
caused overtopping and flooding to nearby areas.
Operation
Carraízo dam is a concretegravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...
. It features eight floodgate
Floodgates, also called stop gates, are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and ...
s along its 210-meter body. The floodgates open at a height of 1 to 10 meters, but they are usually opened at 4 meters. The reservoir created by the Carraízo Dam is 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 ...
. Carraízo's water storage capacity is of 4,650,000 gallons, and 41.15 meters is its peak level.
See also
* List of dams and reservoirs in Puerto RicoReferences
External links
Carraízo Dam
on ProyectoSalonHogar
USGS Lago Loíza at Damsite - 50059000
- Carraízo Dam Water Level {{DEFAULTSORT:Carraizo Dam Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico Dams completed in 1953 Dams in Puerto Rico Gravity dams 1953 establishments in Puerto Rico