Sediment fills reservoirs

[NewsWhore]

The latest reports are indicating that the country's oldest and largest reservoirs are filling up with sediment faster than ever projected. These reservoirs are all behind dams, starting with Tavera and including Valdesia, Sabaneta, Sabana Yegua, Rincon and Hatillo, all of which are over 20 years old. According to Hoy newspaper, a report from the Ministry of the Environment indicates that the Tavera reservoir registered 2,282 cubic meters of sediment per square kilometer instead of the 725 cubic meters originally predicted. Similar or worse figures were shown for Valdesia and the other dams. This shortens the effective lifespan of the dams or indicates a costly dredging process. As the Dominican Republic is now entering the 2008 hurricane season, the reservoirs' capacity to store rainwater becomes an important national issue, since Tropical Storms Noel and Olga caused enormous amounts of sediment to enter the lakes and people are now worried.

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