The Chagres River (Spanish: Río Chagres) is a river in central Panama. The central part of the river is dammed by the Gatun Dam and forms Gatun Lake, an artificial lake that constitutes part of the Panama Canal. Upstream lies the Madden Dam, which created Lake Alajuela (Lajo Alajuela), a reservoir that is also part of the Canal Zone water system. The river drains northwest via the canal into the Caribbean Sea.
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Upstream in the Chagres River lies the Madden Dam (), completed in 1935. The Madden Dam created Lake Alajuela, a reservoir that is an essential part of the watershed in the canal zone. The lake has a maximum level of 250 ft above sea level. It can store one third of the canal's annual water requirements for the operation of the locks. Since the reservoir is not part of the navigational route, there are fewer restrictions on its water level.
The Madden Dam was built to prevent the occasionally torrential flow of the once wild Chagres River, which flows into the navigational route of Gatun Lake. The river's unruly flow posed a major challenge to the construction of the Panama Canal. Water from the dam's reservoir is also used to generate hydroelectric power and to supply Panama City's fresh water. The dam and the reservoir behind it were both named for U.S. Congressman Martin B. Madden of Illinois, who was a chairman of the House appropriations committee during the period while the U.S. was constructing the Panama Canal.[1] The reservoir, which had been known as Madden Lake from the time the dam first became operational, was renamed Lake Alajuela after the Canal Zone reverted to Panamanian control at the end of 1999.[2]
At 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) from the river's mouth lies the Gatun Dam, which created Gatun Lake and provides hydroelectricity. Created in 1913 by the damming of the Chagres River, Gatun Lake is an essential part of the Panama Canal, which forms a water passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, permitting ship transit in both directions. The lake is essential to the canal's water supply, as it provides the millions of gallons of water at the high level needed for the locks to function correctly. The lake is also part of the navigational canal and provides drinking water for Panama City and Colon.
At the time it was formed, Gatun Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world. The impassable rainforest around Gatun Lake has been the best defense of the Panama Canal. Today, these areas have endured practically unscathed by human interference and are one of the few accessible areas on earth that various native Central American animal and plant species can be observed undisturbed in their natural habitat. World famous Barro Colorado Island, which was reserved for scientific study when the lake was formed and is today operated by the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest island on Gatun Lake. Many of the most important groundbreaking scientific and biological discoveries of the tropical animal and plant kingdom originated here. Gatun Lake encompasses approximately 180 square miles (470 km2), a vast tropical ecological zone part of the Atlantic Forest Corridor, and eco-tourism on Gatun Lake has become a worthwhile industry for Panamanians.
Angling is one of the primary recreational pursuits on Gatun Lake. It is suspected that the Cichla Pleiozona species of Peacock Bass was introduced by accident to Gatun Lake by a renowned Panamanian aquarist and doctor in 1958. Locally called Sargento, these bass are not a native game fish of Panama but originate from the Amazon, Rio Negro, and Orinoco River basins of South America, where they are called Tucanare or Pavon and are considered a premier game fish. Since 1958, the Cichla Pleiozona species has flourished and become the dominant game fish in Gatun Lake. The aggressive fish is an angler's dream come true. It hits topwater lures, subsurface lures imitating bait fish, and a variety of fly patterns. When hooked, these peacock bass perform admirably, generating a respectable fight on appropriate tackle. Oddly, they have a preference for feeding during daylight hours. Gatun Lake remains to this day, as it has been for more than 50 years, one of the best peacock bass angling lakes in the world.
The commander Diego Cueto and his helmsman, Pedro de Umbria, visited the region in 1506.[3]
The Chagres River was explored in 1527 by Hernando de la Serna, who founded the town of Chagres at its mouth and built the fortress of San Lorenzo. Goods were transported on foot from Panama City to the coastal town of Cruces, and from there by sailboats on the river all the way to its mouth. This path, called Camino de Cruces, was very popular until the 18th century.
Henry Morgan traveled the Chagres River to attack Panama City in 1670-71.
It wasn't until the late 19th century that attention was once again focused on the river, this time as part of the planning of the Panama Canal. The Chagres River is the Panama Canal's chief source of water.
The river's upper basin is covered by dense tropical forests. To protect that ecosystem, Panama created Chagres National Park in 1985.
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