Río Grande de Patillas branch

Río

Marín branch

66°02'30"

18°01'30"

18°02'00"

18°02'30"

18°03'00"

18°03'30"

66°02'00" 66°01'30" 66°01'00" 66°00'30"

0 0.25 0.5 1 Mile

0 0.25 0.5 1 Kilometer

Figure 3. Aerial photograph of the Lago Patillas and surroundings areas showing development. 

Photograph from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Puerto Rico, 2007.

66°02'00" 66°01'30" 66°01'00"

18°01'00"

18°01'30"

18°02'00"

400 METERS

500 1,250 FEET

0 200

0

EXPLANATION

RESERVOIR BOTTOM CONTOUR- Depth of the reservoir bottom, 

in 2007, in meters below normal pool elevation of 67.67 meters above 

mean sea level. Contour interval is 1.0 meter. 

Shoreline shown as red line equal to zero depth or

normal pool elevation of 67.67 meters above mean sea level.

Dam

Spillway

ENLARGED AREA 

100 METERS

250 FEET

0

0

Spillway

Shoreline modified from the U. S. Geological Survey quadrangle Patillas, Puerto Rico, 1972, from aerial photographs taken in 1968. Lambert Conic Conformal Projection.

Puerto Rico State Plane coordinate system (Puerto Rico Datum, 1940 adjustment)

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Prepared in cooperation with the

PUERTO RICO ELECTRIC POWER AUTHORITY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS MAP 2010-3128

 Sedimentation Survey of Lago Patillas, Puerto Rico, March 2007

By Luis R. Soler-López, 2010

Figure 2. Bathymetric map of Lago Patillas, Puerto Rico, March 2007.

SEDIMENTATION SURVEY OF LAGO PATILLAS, PUERTO RICO, MARCH 2007 

By Luis R. Soler-López. 

2010

Río Grande de Patillas branch

Río Marín branch

~1.0 m

~1.0 m

~2.0 m

~2.0 m

~3.0 m

Delta deposition

Delta deposition

DEPTH, IN METERS BELOW NORMAL POOL ELEVATION OF 67.67 METERS 

ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

5

10

15

20

25

DISTANCE FROM THE DAM, IN METERS, ALONG THE RIO GRANDE DE PATILLAS BRANCH

DISTANCE FROM THE SPILLWAY, IN METERS, ALONG THE RIO MARÍN BRANCH

Vertical scale greatly exaggerated

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500

2007

1997

Figure 5. Longitudinal bottom profiles for 1997 and 2007 along the Río Grande de Patillas and Río Marín branches of Lago Patillas.

Introduction

 Lago Patillas is a reservoir located on the confluence of Río Grande de 

Patillas and Río Marín, in the municipality of Patillas in southern Puerto Rico, 

about 3 kilometers north of the town of Patillas and about 8 kilometers 

northeast of the town of Arroyo (fig. 1). The dam is owned and operated by the 

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and was constructed in 1914 

for the irrigation of croplands in the southern coastal plains of Puerto Rico 

along the towns of Arroyo, Guayama, Patillas, and Salinas. Irrigation releases 

are made through the outlet works into the Patillas Irrigation Canal that extends 

32.2 kilometers from the Patillas dam to Río Salinas. The dam is a 

semi-hydraulic earthfill with a structural height of 44.80 meters, a top width of 

4.57 meters, a base width of 190.49 meters, and a crest length of 325.21 meters. 

The spillway structure is physically separated from the earthfill dam, has an 

elevation of 58.21 meters above mean sea level, and has three radial arm gates 

(Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, 1979). The reservoir impounds the 

waters of the Río Grande de Patillas and Río Marín. The reservoir has a 

drainage area of 66.3 square kilometers. Additional information and 

operational procedures are listed in Soler-López and others (1999).

 During March 14-15, 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

Caribbean Water Science Center (CWSC), in cooperation with the PREPA 

conducted a bathymetric survey of Lago Patillas to update the reservoir storage 

capacity and update the reservoir sedimentation rate by comparing the 2007 

bathymetric survey data with previous 1997 data. The purpose of this report is 

to update the reservoir storage capacity, sedimentation rates, and areas of 

substantial sediment accumulation since April 1997.

Method of Survey and Analysis

 The field techniques and bathymetric data reduction processes used for 

the 2007 survey were performed following procedures similar to those 

established by the USGS CWSC in 1994, and described in the previous 

bathymetric survey report of Lago Patillas (Soler-López and others, 1999). The 

March 2007 bathymetric survey was conducted using a differential global 

positioning system (DGPS) coupled to a digital depth sounder similar to the 

setup used for the survey conducted in April 1997 (Soler-López and others, 

1999). 

 The survey navigation lines were established at a spacing of about 50 

meters, beginning at the dam and spillway face of the reservoir and continuing 

upstream to the reservoir tail along the different river branches. Geographic 

position and water depths were acquired simultaneously using the DGPS 

interfaced to the depth sounder. The pool elevation of the reservoir was 

measured at USGS lake-level station 50093045, Lago Patillas at Damsite near 

Patillas. The soundings were subsequently adjusted to represent water depths 

below normal pool elevation. The 2007 data were stored and transferred into 

the USGS geographic information system (GIS) where final analysis and 

volume calculations were made following similar procedures used to develop 

the 1997 bathymetric map of Lago Patillas reservoir (Soler-López and others, 

1999). Field data were used to generate a bathymetric map representing the 

reservoir bottom in March 2007 (fig. 2). A triangulated irregular network (TIN) 

surface model of Lago Patillas was then created from the bathymetric map, and 

the reservoir volume was calculated using the GIS. The TIN surface model was 

used with the digital data for 1997 and 2007 to generate a stage-storage curve 

and longitudinal profiles along the different tributary branches of Lago Patillas. 

An actualized storage capacity table and curve were generated by calculating 

the TIN volume at 1-meter elevation intervals (table 2, fig. 4). 

Storage Capacity, Sedimentation Rates, and Useful Life

 Bathymetric data indicate storage capacity of the reservoir decreased 

slightly from 13.84 million cubic meters in April 1997 (Soler-López and others, 

1999) to 13.57 million cubic meters by March 2007 (table 1). This decrease 

represents a reduction between 1997 and 2007 of 270,000 cubic meters (or 2 

percent over 10 years) for an annual storage capacity loss rate of about 27,000 

cubic meters. The nearly 75 percent reduction in sedimentation rate from 1997 

to 2007 (table 1) may be a result of the nearly undisturbed Lago Patillas 

drainage area (fig. 3). An actualized storage capacity table and curve were 

generated by calculating the TIN volume at 1-meter elevation intervals (table 2, 

fig. 4). 

 Sediment accumulation in Lago Patillas between 1997 and 2007 has 

been minimal, as indicated by a comparison of 1997 and 2007 longitudinal 

bottom profiles of Lago Patillas along the thalweg of the Río Grande de Patillas 

and Río Marín branches of the reservoir (fig. 5). Although these profiles are 

slightly different from those presented in Soler-López and others (1999), the 

profiles shown in figure 5 were generated from both surface models (1997 and 

2007) in a simpler, more descriptive way to depict the reservoir bottom along 

the different river branches upstream from the dam and spillway. Near the 

confluence of the Río Marín and Río Grande de Patillas, the reservoir bottom 

Figure 6. Aerial photograph of the Lago Patillas earthfill dam and spillway section. Photograph courtesy of the 

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

Spillway Dam Spillway Dam

CARIBBEAN SEA CARIBBEAN SEA

66°17'30" 66°54'30"

18°08'00"

17°56'30"

Figure 1. Location of Lago Patillas in the Río Grande de Patillas basin, Puerto Rico.

Río

Río

Jajome

Río

Río Cuyon

Jueyes

Salinas (Nigua)

Río Majada

West Guamaní Canal

Patillas 

Carmen

Río

Río

Marín

Río

Río

Río

Río

Río

Río

East

Río

de

Grande

Río

Lago

Carite

Lago

Patillas

Patillas

Irrigation 

Canal

Canal

Canal

Patillas

Guayanéz

Humacao

Limones

Maunabo

Nigua

Guamaní Guamaní

Lago Seco

Melania

Melania

MAUNABO

PATILLAS

GUAYAMA ARROYO SALINAS

0

0 1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4 5 Miles

5 Kilometers

EXPLANATION

Lake-elevation station and number

Río Grande de Patillas basin area

Town or city

50093045

Basin area

PUERTO RICO

Dam

50093045

Irrigation

for 2007 is flat with no change since 1997; therefore, the comparison generated 

shows one flat line overlapping the other with no discernable difference between 

profiles. The comparison indicates that the greatest sediment accumulation has 

occurred along the riverine zones of Lago Patillas. Along the Río Grande de 

Patillas tributary branch, sediment accumulation is greatest in a section that 

extends from about 1,500 to 2,100 meters upstream from the dam, averaging 

about 2.5 meters in thickness. Within the Río Marín tributary branch, the 

average sediment accumulation along a reach extending from about 900 to 1,700 

meters upstream from the confluence with the Río Grande de Patillas is about 

1.5 meters. Sediment accumulation near the dam and the spillway structure is 

minimal. The sediment deposition rates from 1997 to 2007 were about 25 and 

15 centimeters per year, respectively, along the Río Grande de Patillas Río 

Marín branches. The more noticeable effect of material accumulation is that the 

reservoir surface area has been reduced on the Río Grande de Patillas and Río 

Marín riverine zones (fig. 5). Figure 6 shows an aerial photograph of the Lago 

Patillas earthfill dam and the spillway section.

 The Lago Patillas drainage area sediment yield rate decreased 

substantially from 1,740 cubic meters per square kilometer per year between 

1961 and 1997 (Soler-López and others, 1999) to 445 cubic meters per square 

kilometer per year between 1997 and 2007 (table 1). This reduction in storage 

capacity loss and sediment yield rate recorded between 1997 and 2007 could be 

because the major amount of coarse sediment eroded from the basin has been 

deposited along the river beds upstream from the reservoir and along the riverine 

zones of the reservoir, which is not accounted for by the conventional 

bathymetric surveys conducted for the this study. This material, however, has the 

potential to be flushed suddenly downstream into the reservoir by a major flood. 

 According to the current storage capacity loss of about 27,000 cubic 

meters per year estimated for 1997-2007, the projected useful life of Lago 

Patillas life is about 502 years, to year 2509.

Summary and Conclusions

 During March 2007, the USGS Caribbean Water Science Center, in 

cooperation with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, conducted a 

bathymetric survey of Lago Patillas to update the reservoir storage capacity and 

actualize the reservoir sedimentation rate by comparing the 2007 bathymetric 

survey data with 1997 data.

 The Lago Patillas storage capacity was 13.84 million cubic meters in 

April 1997, which decreased to 13.57 in million cubic meters by March 2007. 

The inter-survey (1997-2007) storage capacity loss is about 2 percent, for a 

decrease of about 0.2 percent per year. This loss represents a reservoir 

sedimentation rate of about 27,000 cubic meters per year. Most of the storage 

capacity loss of Lago Patillas has occurred along the Río Grande de Patillas 

tributary branch, where an average about 2.5 meters of sediment has 

accumulated between 1997 and 2007. Along the Río Marín tributary branch, 

sediment accumulation is about 1.5 meters. 

 The Lago Patillas drainage area sediment yield decreased substantially 

from 1,740 cubic meters per square kilometer per year between 1961 and 1997 

to 445 cubic meters per square kilometer per year between 1997 and 2007. This 

substantial reduction in sediment yield rate may be because the greater amount 

of sediment eroded from the basin has been deposited along river beds upstream 

from the reservoir and within the riverine zones, which was not accounted for by 

the standard bathymetric survey conducted for this study. However, this eroded 

material has the potential of suddenly being flushed down into the reservoir by 

a large magnitude flood.

 Although the life expectancy of about 502 years for Lago Patillas is not 

a pressing concern (assuming a long-term storage loss rate of about 27,000 cubic 

meters per year), sediment accumulation in the Río Grande Patillas and Río 

Marín branches of the reservoir will continue downstream towards the deepest 

parts of Lago Patillas, which will eventually start filling the reservoir near the 

dam. If the sedimentation rate of 27,000 cubic meters estimated between 1997 

and 2007 continues, the useful life of Lago Patillas may end by the year 2509.

References Cited

Brune, G. M. 1953: Trap efficiency of reservoirs. Transactions of the American 

Geophysical Union 34, 407-418.

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, 1979, Patillas Dam, Patillas, Puerto Rico: 

Phase I Inspection Report: National Dam Safety Program, 1979.

Soler-López, L. R., Webb, R.M.T., and Pérez-Blair, Francisco, 1999, 

Sedimentation survey of Lago Patillas, Puerto Rico, April 1997: U.S. 

Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4030, 14 p., 1 pl.

Table 1. Comparison of the 1997 and 2007 sedimentation surveys of Lago Patillas, 

Puerto Rico.

[Historic information about Lago Patillas can be obtained from Soler-López and others, 1999]

Year of survey

Data descriptor 1997 2007

Total capacity, in million cubic meters 13.84 13.57

Years since construction1 83 93

Years since storage capacity was informed (1961) 36 46

Sediment accumulation since 19612, 3.80 4.07 in million cubic meters

Sediment accumulation since previous survey, 3.06 0.27

in million cubic meters

Storage loss since 1961, in percent 22 23

Annual loss of capacity since 1961, 106,000 88,500 in cubic meters

Annual loss of capacity since 1961, in percent 0.61 0.50

Years since previous survey 20 10

Inter-survey loss of capacity, in 153,000 27,000 cubic meters per year 

Long-term sediment trapping efficiency, 92 92 in percent3

Long-term sediment yield, in cubic meters 1,740 1,450 per square kilometer per year

Inter-survey sediment yield, in cubic meters 1,600 445 per square kilometer per year

Year reservoir would fill with sediments (based on 2123 2509 the inter-survey annual loss of capacity for each year)

1 Using the construction date of 1914 (Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority, 1979).

2 Calculations were made based on the reported storage capacity 0f 17.64 million cubic meters

 for 1961 (Soler-López, 1999). There was no original (1914) storage capacity information.

3 Using the capacity to inflow relation established by Brune (1953).

Table 2. Storage capacity table for Lago Patillas, Puerto Rico, 

March 2007, 

Pool elevation, in meters Storage capacity, in 

above mean sea level million cubic meters

67.67 13.57

66.67 12.46

65.67 11.40

64.67 10.38

63.67 9.42

62.67 8.52

61.67 7.65

60.67 6.83

59.67 6.06

58.67 5.34

57.67 4.67

56.67 4.04

55.67 3.46

54.67 2.91

53.67 2.45

52.67 2.05

51.67 1.69

50.67 1.37

49.67 1.07

48.67 0.79

47.67 0.55

46.67 0.33

45.67 0.14

44.67 0.00

Normal pool elevation = 67.67 meters above mean sea level

40.00

45.00

50.00

55.00

60.00

65.00

70.00

0.0 5.00 10.00

STORAGE VOLUME, IN MILLION CUBIC METERS

15.00

ELEVATION, IN METERS ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL

Figure 4. Relation between water-storage capacity and pool elevation of Lago

Patillas, for 1997 and 2007.

2007

1997