Chagres River
View of the Rio Chagres
The Río Chagres ( Rio de Chagre also, and called Río Chagre; German: Chagres River, first designation by Christopher Columbus in 1502: Río de los Lagartos = river of crocodiles ) is situated in central Panama river.
The one in the Cordillera de San Blas at an altitude of about 600 above sea level Springing Río Chagres was often slow -flowing, in the rainy season but quickly turned into a raging torrent intumescent waters, which after initially in a south-westerly direction, but then in a large arc flowed north and about 12 km southwest of Colón culminated in the Caribbean Sea.
For the construction of the Panama Canal the underflow was dammed in the years 1907-1913 through the Gatun Dam to the underlying 26 m above sea level Gatúnsee (Spanish: Lago Gatun ). This is the central part of the Panama Canal dar. same time, the Río Chagres supplies the water required for the operation of the canal locks. To avoid interference with the increased shipping traffic through the untamed river and to have enough even in dry periods water for the operation of locks, the Río Chagres in 1935 was also dammed by the Madden Dam for Alajuelasee in the upper reaches.
At long intervals, however, the Río Chagres leads so much water that both the Alajuela and the Gatúnsee reach their maximum level. So the shipping traffic had on the Panama Canal from 8 to 9 December 2010, interrupted for 17 hours - for the third time in the 96- year history of the channel.
The catchment area of the river Chagres is under the administration of the Panama Canal Authority ( Autoridad del Canal de Panamá [ ACP] ), which not only operates the Panama Canal, but also electricity and 95 % of drinking water for the cities of Colón, Panamá, San Miguelito, and in future Chorrera supplies.
The river was first explored by Diego Cueto and his mate Pedro de Umbria 1506. 1527 sought Hernando de la Serna on behalf of the Spanish crown ( Charles V ) to a suitable location for the construction of a canal through the Isthmus of Panama. At the end of a new land bridge (next to the Camino Real de Castilla de Oro ) was discovered, the Camino de Cruces. The road running from Old Panama to the town of Venta de Cruces. From there could then be reached on the Río Chagres the Atlantic by boat. Today Venta de Cruces lies in the depths of Gatúnsees.