Bucaná River () is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bucaná has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of . It forms from the confluence of Río Cerrillos and Río Bayagán.Los Rios. Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. February 2007: P013. Page 2. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Retrieved 30 October 2011. It is also fed by Río Portugues during its southernly run. Río Bucaná used to run for some Projecto Salon Hogar (Estudios Sociales, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Hidrografia). Retrieved 30 October 2011. prior to canalization and other diversion work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It now runs for to drain into the Caribbean Sea. This river is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.

Tributaries Río Bucaná is formed in barrio Machuelo Arriba by the confluence of the Bayagán and Cerrillos rivers. It has two tributaries, Río Portugues and Río Cerrillos.

Course Río Bucaná originates in Cordillera Central at Monte Jayuya and runs in a winding fashion to the south receiving feeds from Rio Jauca, Rio Bayagan and Quebrada Guayo.Government of the Municipality of Ponce. Periodico "El Señorial". Special issue: Carnaval Ponceño 2013. February 2013. Page 17. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bucaná is channelized from the point it enters the city of Ponce and until it is fed by Rio Portugues (a river that is also channelized) in Barrio Bucaná at the southern tip of Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park. The Rivers of Puerto Rico. The channelization project started in 1974Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 118. and was completed in 1997.Proyecto de año: Represa Portugués, Construcción con Ingeniería Extrema. Planos y Capacets. May–Jun 2011. Page 10. Retrieved 28 September 2012. It was a multimillion-dollar investment, with just the first phase costing $120 million.Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 118. The river empties into the Caribbean Sea near La Guancha. A section of the river used to run alongside Route 14, near the former Hospital de Distrito (now Hospital San Lucas), but it has since been diverted.Topographic Map of the City of Ponce.U.S. Geological Survey. 1970. Photorevised 1982. University of Texas Library. Map of old route of river by Route 14/Hospital Distrito. Retrieved 27 November 2009.

The following table summarizes the course of Río Bucaná in terms of roads crossed. Roads are listed as the river flows from its origin at the confluence of Río Bayagán and Río Cerrillos rivers, located in Barrio Machuelo Arriba, north of the city of Ponce, to its emptying into the Caribbean Sea in Barrio Bucaná in the south (N/A = Data not available):

No. Barrio Road Road'skm marker NBI IDNational Bridge Inventory Data: Puerto Rico, Ponce. James Baughn. BridgeReports.com 2018. Accessed 26 November 2018. Bridge name (if any) Direction (of bridge traffic) Coordinates Notes1Machuelo Arriba PR-14 (Av. Tito Castro) 5.4 23051 Unnamed Both 0.2 km W of Walmart of Coto Laurel2Machuelo Abajo PR-10 3.8 14331 Unnamed NB PR-10 North ramp into PR-14 East, km 3.43Machuelo Abajo PR-10 3.8 24891 Unnamed SB 4Sabanetas PR-1 (Av. La Ceiba) 125.0 12291 La Ceiba WB next to Ponce Candy Industries5Sabanetas PR-1 (Av. La Ceiba) 125.0 12291 La Ceiba EB next to Ponce Candy Industries6Bucaná PR-52 103.7 23351 Unnamed WB 7Bucaná PR-52 103.7 23351 Unnamed EB 8Playa Avenida Caribe not marked N/A Unnamed Both 0.25 km NE of Hotel Ponce Hilton 

Uses Río Bucaná is largely used for irrigation of crops on the southern plains of Puerto Rico located east of the city of Ponce.SAURI v. SAURI. (LEAGLE: Debate Cases, Regulations, Statutes, and More) 45 F.2d 90 (1930). United States Circuit Court of Appeals, First Circuit. 26 November 1930. Retrieved 23 October 2011.

See also List of rivers of Puerto Rico List of rivers of Ponce

Notes 1.One reliable source, (Puerto Rico Department of Environmental Resources)Los Rios. Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. February 2007: P013. Page 2. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Retrieved 30 October 2011. dated February 2007, states that this river forms from the confluence of Río Cerrillos and Río Bayagán. However, another reliable source, (Puerto Rico Office of Management and Budget)Maptest. Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. General Purpose Population Data, Census 2000. Unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Área de Tecnología de Información Gubernamental, Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 24 October 2011. not dated but using data with dates that fluctuate between 2001 and 2010, shows the river forms from various minor streams, and that Río Cerrillos is a feeder river to Río Bucaná. In this article we are using the first source as the most reliable. Still, given that the U.S. Corps of Engineers has been working in redirecting and canalizing Río Bucaná, the reader is advised that the actual origin of the current river may be one of the two stated above or may well be different yet.

References

External links

USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region (1974) USGS Maps of Municipality of Ponce Rivers, showing Rio Bucana and others