Saint Paul River

Rivers of Liberia, red: River System Saint Paul River

The Saint Paul River is a river in West Africa, he rises in the southeast of the Republic of Guinea and is considered the most important river of the Republic of Liberia and crosses the central provinces.

History

The explored by the Portuguese in the 15th century Seefahreren estuary near the Cape Mesurado on the West African coast, known as the Pepper Coast has been achieved on January 25, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the explorers called the river Rio therefore São Paulo. However, it took until the 1920s until the extended source region could be explored fully geographically at the headwaters. The purchased and populated by Amerikoliberianern beginning of the 19th century area on the lower reaches became the center of the colony of Liberia, where the colonists towns and plantations emerged around Clay - Ashland, Bensonville, Dixville (Liberia) and Mills castle. In order to transport the agricultural products more efficiently to Monrovia, at the suggestion of the American missionary David Day of Muhlenberg mission with the steam boat " Sarah Ann " first " line of steamers " which created Saint Paul River, led them up to 30 kilometers deep inland and ended at the rapids at White Plains.

Description

The 500 km long river rises as Diani in southeastern Guinea in the mountains northeast of Macenta. After about 50 km, the river crosses the border of Liberia in Gbarnga, henceforth it flows in a southwesterly direction through the central Liberia. The mouth of the Saint Paul River is located at the Monrovia Bay, about 5 km north of Monrovia Freeport, from this cause two railway lines and an arterial road in the northern hinterland, this serve the St. Paul Bridge and Tubmanbrücke. A special feature is the Stockton Creek, he is a tributary of the Saint Paul River and communicates with the Mesurado River in conjunction. The connection causes the stretch of coast located between two rivers is perceived as an island, which is called " Bushrod Iceland ". Originally funnel-shaped estuary with an opening width of about 1100 m was filled by alluvial sand and river sediments at the edges, the width of the river is now at the mouth point barely 150 m. The underflow nor lined early 19th century mangrove forests, they were like after the founding of the settlement Clay Ashley in order to create agricultural plantations ( coffee, sugar cane and oil palm plantations ) can. In the 1970s, the Hotel Africa was built at the mouth, it counted up to its closure and subsequent looting during the civil war to the luxury hotels in West Africa.

Water management

The Saint Paul River is located in the area of the tropical rain forest of West Africa, its water flow was monitored by the Hydrographic Service of the Republic of Liberia.

• The middle reaches, at the hydrographic station " Walker Bridge", Liberia, catchment area 9760 km ², the maximum in the month of September is achieved, it is then 728 m³ / s, the minimum is s registered 37,3 m³ / in February and March.

Energy

The Mount Coffee Dam was up to the Liberian civil war, the most important power station in Liberia. The generator system was built from 1963 to 1966 in the lower reaches of the Saint Paul River and are located about 30 km northeast of the capital, Monrovia. The power plant was planned as Laufwasserkraftwerk. At the site in the towns of Arthington and Milsburg, near the Mount Coffee, a dam of about 150 m in length and a turbine house was built. The location was on a bend in the river, in which a natural tributary of the Saint Paul River had use for water level regulation. Further technical facilities and accommodation for the staff created 500 m meters to the south of the dam on a hill.

Mineral resources

The area of ​​Saint Paul River was systematically investigated geologically since 2005, this was the first time deposits of mineable ores (gold, iron ore, copper, platinum, uranium, bauxite ) and diamonds are recognized.

Nature reserve

On the advice of international conservation organizations were parts of the mangrove area, an approximately 6,000 -acre area on the lower reaches of the Saint Paul River and the Mesurado, designated as a nature reserve.