Portugués Dam
| Portugués Dam | |
|---|---|
Artistic rendering of Portugues Dam | |
| Official name | Represa Portugués |
| Location | Tibes, Ponce, PR |
| Coordinates | 18°3′44″N 66°37′58″W / 18.06222°N 66.63278°W |
| Purpose | Flood control |
| Status | Operational. |
| Construction began | October 2008 |
| Opening date | February 2014, operational in 2015 |
| Construction cost | $750 million USD |
| Owner(s) | Government of Puerto Rico |
| Operator(s) | USACE |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | roller-compacted concrete thick arch dam |
| Impounds | Portugues River |
| Height | 220 feet (67 m) |
| Length | 1,230 feet (370 m) |
| Width (crest) | 35 feet (11 m) |
| Width (base) | 110 feet (34 m) |
| Dam volume | 368,000 cubic yards (281,000 m3) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Portugues Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 392,040 cubic feet (11,101 m3) |
| Surface area | 215 acres (87 ha) |
| Pablo Vázquez Ruiz, head project engineer | |
The Portugués Dam (Spanish: Represa Portugués) is a roller-compacted concrete thick arch dam on the Portugués River, three miles (5 km) northwest of the city Ponce, in Barrio Tibes, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Construction on the dam began in April 2008, soon after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District awarded the Spanish firm Dragados USA, a division of Grupo ACS, with a $180 million contract in March 2008 to build the dam.
The primary purpose of the dam is flood control; it provides flood protection for 40,000 people and over 13,000 residential structures. The dam is the final component of the Portugués and Bucana Flood Protection Project and the first dam of its type constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the United States or Caribbean. The final cost of the dam was estimated at $375 million; 75% is funded by the U.S. Government and 25% by the Government of Puerto Rico. It is the first dam ever built in the United States that uses the single-centered roller-compacted concrete thick arch technique.
An estimated inauguration date of October 2013 was announced in 2011 but was not met. Subsequently, an inauguration date of 28 January 2014 was also announced. The dam was structurally completed in December 2013 and inaugurated on 5 February 2014. The dam is operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.