Yaque del Norte River

The Yaque del Norte River is a fluvial course located in the Dominican Republic. It is the longest river in the country and the second on the entire island, with the Artibonite River taking first place.

Decree No. 172-95 of July 27, 1995 signed by President Joaquín Balaguer declared July 25 as "Yaque del Norte River Day".

Basin

This basin rises in the Cordillera Central, at an altitude of 2,580 ms. no. m. at Loma la Rusilla and empties into Montecristi Bay, in the Atlantic Ocean, near the city of San Fernando de Montecristi, in the far northwest of the country.

The Yaque del Norte river basin is the largest of the Dominican hydrographic basins and the second largest on the island.

It has a surface area of about 7,053 km² and its average flow is around 80 m³/s covering a distance of 296 km. It bathes a large percentage of the territory of Cibao Occidental and Cibao Central, among which we can mention the cities of Jarabacoa, Santiago de los Caballeros, Mao, among others.

Its waters are used to feed the irrigation canals that contribute to the development of agriculture on the northwest line, and on it important aqueducts and dams have been built that are used for the production of hydroelectric energy, thanks to the construction from the Tavera dam.

In recent years, rafting has developed in the vicinity of Jarabacoa due to the turbulence of the waters of this river as it descends towards the sea.

Main tributaries

The main tributaries that form part of this basin are:

• Río Amina
• River Bao
• Guayubín River
• Rio Inoa
• Rio Jimenoa
• Rio Maguaca
• Mao
• Rio Maguá
• River coconuts
• Guanajuma River
• Pananao River
• Rio Jicomé
• Rio gurabo

Tavera Dam

This dam uses the waters of the Yaque del Norte River, in the Santiago province. These waters are supplied for human consumption and for hydroelectric power of almost the entire Central Cibao, and irrigate a good part of its lands.

To this is also added the López-Angostura counterdam.

THE MONCION DAM. This dam is on the Mao River and the Maguá River, limiting the provinces of Santiago and Santiago Rodríguez, in the municipalities of San José de las Matas and Monción. This water is supplied for human consumption and for hydroelectric power in almost the entire northwest, and irrigates a good part of its lands: Valverde, Montecristi, Santiago Rodríguez and Dajabón, and Navarrete in the province of Santiago. Moncion Dam

Technical sheet:

Type of prey: land.
Height of the dam: 123 m
Rio: Mao.
Crown elevation of the dam: 292 m. n. m.]
Crown length of the dam: 320 m
Crest elevation of the vertedor: 280 m. n. m.Type of landfill: free surface without gates.
Maximum operating level: 280 m. n. m.Minimum operating level: 223 m. n. m.Total storage capacity: 360 million m3
Damage area: 1,250 ha
Watershed area: 622 km2
Capacity installed: 49.3 mW
Rigo next to the counter-embalse: 19,332 ha
Support to the energy system: 140 GWh/year.
Year of construction: 2001.

Although according to reports the Monción dam belongs to the Santiago Rodríguez province, most of the dam is located in the limits of the Santiago province.

Irrigation canal Ulises Francisco Espaillat

This irrigation canal starts from the city of Santiago and crosses almost the entire Northwest line. This canal is the salvation of the farmers of this region, since it allows them to develop agriculture, through ramifications of smaller canals, throughout the Valverde and Montecristi provinces.