Lake Enriquillo

Taken from the Indian Caritas, the Discovery, Independence Province.

Taken from the Indian Caritas, the Discovery, Independence Province.

Taken from the Indian Caritas, the Discovery, Independence Province.

The Enriquillo Lake is the largest natural water reserve in Hispaniola and in all the Antilles as a whole, with an area of 265 km² as of October 2011, although its area is not constant. It is the rest of an old marine channel that linked the bays of Neiba in the Dominican Republic and Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Its waters are shared between the Independencia and Bahoruco provinces. It is part of the Enriquillo Lake and Cabritos Island National Park and the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve.

Measurements

By mid-2012 its surface was 29 meters below sea level, with a maximum depth of 50 meters (−79 m a.s.l.). The level of the lake oscillates due to the strong evaporation of the zone, which is not compensated simultaneously by the rain and the runoff of the superficial waters of the basin. It is the lowest point in the Caribbean.

Features

By mid-2012 its surface was 29 meters below sea level, with a maximum depth of 50 meters (−79 m a.s.l.). The level of the lake oscillates due to the strong evaporation of the area, which is not simultaneously compensated by the rain and the runoff of the superficial waters of the basin, including the rains of the hurricanes and the overflows of the rivers. In 1990, it was 34 m below sea level while in 1979 it was almost 46 m below sea level.

The historical trend is to decrease because the water that feeds it is being used for agriculture and consumption in the cities, while evaporation is constant.

The depth of the bottom of the lake is variable and is greater to the north of Cabritos Island, with an elevation of 79 meters below sea level. By 1979, before the passage of Hurricane David, the depth to the north of Cabritos was 19.5 m while to the south it was only 7.6 m. In 1980, one year after Hurricane David, the maximum depth to the north was 23.4 m while on the southern side it was 12.3 m.

The salinity of Lake Enriquillo before 2011 was higher than that of the sea and the variation depends mainly on evaporation. In 2012, for example, the salinity was 26 g/l. At the bottom of the northern part of the lake, maximum values exceeding 110 g/l were found before 2004, making the lake hypersaline. By 2013, this salinity had dropped considerably as a result of the large amount of fresh water coming from the precipitations that have accompanied storms and hurricanes, as well as the contributions of the Yaque del Sur from 2004-2012.

The temperature in the whole area is relatively high, ranging from 27 degrees Celsius to 28 °C, even reaching 36°C. Precipitation is low as the lake is in a dry zone. The average annual precipitation is 500 mm which is concentrated in two seasons: May-June-September-October-December-January-July and August.

Islands

The Isla Cabritos is the only island that remains within the lake, before the current expansion of the lake it measured approx. 12 x 2.2 km (26.4 km²); It is currently about 18 km² and has an elongated shape. The Barbarita (also known locally as "Chiquita") and Islita islets disappeared towards the end of 2011.

Flora and fauna

Its fauna is very diverse and interesting, especially reptiles and birds. Among the birds, one of the most striking is the flamingo. Among the reptiles are the two species of iguanas: the rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta) and the Ricord's iguana (Cyclura ricordi). There is also the American crocodile whose population in the lake is one of the largest in the world in the wild now. It is an endangered species in the country, leaving only this population and the others having disappeared. It feeds on fish such as tilapia (introduced species).

The vegetation of the surroundings and of the islands is typical of dry forest, except in some places where mangroves are common. Cacti are common, as are guayacán (Guaiacum officinale), bayahonda or cambrón (Prosopis juliflora) and others. An important species is the saona (Ziziphus rignonii) since its fruits are eaten by iguanas.

Isla Cabritos has the only hyperxerophytic dry forest that exists below sea level in the American continent. The insular point located at the highest level is 5 meters below sea level.

Cities

There are many towns around Lake Enriquillo whose inhabitants live from agriculture. The main center for all activities on the lake is La Descubierta, where there is a freshwater spa (Las Barías). The office and main entrance of the national park is located a few kilometers from La Descubierta, in La Azufrada.

Currently the closest town is Boca de Cachón, a town 28 meters below sea level, which is already on the shores of the lake, when it used to be about two kilometers away. It has stayed since 2014 and the town is submerged due to the constant expansion of the lake.

Tourism

Mirador Lago Enriquillo in the national park homonymous.

Lake Enriquillo has become an important tourist destination, both for national and foreign tourism. Most of those who visit La Azufrada only spend one day. To visit Isla Cabritos it is necessary to arrive at La Azufrada early in the morning because after noon the waves are very strong. Representatives of the environment offices remain there and with whom they can have information about the itinerary of guides and boats to reach Cabritos Island, which includes possible sightings of the species of crocodiles at the mouth of the nearby river, as well as the two species of iguanas that live on said island.

Shortly before La Azufrada, there is a set of indigenous petroglyphs, possibly pre-Taíno ("las caritas"), from where you have an excellent view of the Lake with its islands. There are several small hotels in the town of La Descubierta, usually used by travelers linked to trade and that are also used by tourists attracted by the attractions of the area. A transportation system with buses also links this community of La descubierta with Santo Domingo and other communities between them.

Recent Lake Expansion

After the passage of several storms and tropical cyclones in the course of three weeks in the months of August and September 2008 (Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike), both locals and scientists working in the area noticed that the lake it had expanded.

In the beginning, the Rincón lagoon evacuated water to the lake through the Trujillo canal, which carries drinking water to the arid cultivation areas for irrigation; due to both the extreme rains caused by the cyclones, as well as the Yaque del Sur River, which deviated from its course and part of its waters began to flow towards the Rincón Lagoon.

The original area of the lake, which was about 17,200 hectares or 172 square kilometers, increased to 26,569 hectares in January 2009, one month later (February 2009) its size increased to 28,134 hectares; Already in April 2011, its surface area exceeded 37,000 hectares, a figure that is equivalent to 370 km².

In June 2012, the community of Boca de Cachón was partially flooded by Lake Enriquillo. While the community of Las Baitoas is about to be invaded by its waters, as the shore of the lake is just one meter from the road that crosses the community.

In a 2016 study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Professor Geovanny Vicente Romero highlights Lake Enriquillo as the "largest lake (375 km²) in the Caribbean, which has been expanding at a speed of one 1 meter per year in the last decade, destroying farmland, people's homes and some of the most vulnerable wildlife in the Dominican Republic. Scientists suggest that climate change is the root cause behind rising water levels, though they have yet to discover the precise reasons. Meanwhile, the most recent U.S. National Climate Assessment report forecasts more extreme weather patterns in the Caribbean with fewer but more intense tropical storms.”

“In an attempt to reduce the impacts of climate change, the Dominican Republic has invested $24 million to launch a green city project to create an ecologically sustainable community for the people who once lived in what is now It is Lake Enriquillo. This new city is called Nuevo Boca de Cachón and is home to more than 560 families.”

In 2014 the town Nuevo Boca de Cachón was founded, where the residents of Boca de Cachón were transferred.

Sources and References