Rebuilding and Enhancing Guajataca Dam in Puerto Rico as officials announced that Guajataca dam suffered an extensive damage nearly six years ago due to the impact of Hurricane Maria.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will collaborate with Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority on a significant project projected to span a decade, involving multimillion-dollar investments. Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi emphasized the complexity of the endeavor.
One of the top priorities is the installation of an early warning system, which was absent during Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact on Puerto Rico in September 2017, when it struck as a formidable Category 4 hurricane and caused damage of the Guajataca dam. This resulted in the evacuation of neighboring communities. While emergency repairs have been conducted on the Guajataca Dam in northwest Puerto Rico, officials have announced that permanent restoration efforts will commence shortly. The dam serves as a vital water source for local crops and supplies potable water to over 300,000 individuals in the surrounding area.
Puerto Rico Dam, constructed In 1929, is among the 38 dams documented in Puerto Rico, as recorded by the Army Corps of Engineers’ National Inventory of Dams. This dam stands at a height of 120 feet (37 meters) and spans approximately 1,000 feet (305 meters), crossing the Guajataca River to create a reservoir that serves drinking water, irrigation, and power generation purposes.
Initially, the reservoir had a water storage capacity of 39,286 acre-feet (48.5 million cubic meters). However, due to sediment accumulation, the capacity had decreased to 34,276 acre-feet (42.3 million cubic meters) by 1999, as indicated by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Army Corps of Engineers’ inventory states that the Puerto Rico Dam was last inspected in 2013 and classified as having a “high hazard potential”,
Also read Plans in for construction of dam and power turbine on Susquehanna River in York County
