Spatial Data for Sedimentation Survey of Lago Caonillas, Utuado, Puerto Rico, SeptemberNovember 2012

This data release contains spatial data for sedimentation survey of Lago Caonillas, Utuado, Puerto Rico and includes reservoir bottom contours and water depth data. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) owns and operates the Lago Caonillas reservoir, and since 1996, the reservoir has become an essential part of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) North Coast Superaqueduct Project. Construction of the Lago Caonillas reservoir was completed in 1948 to provide water for hydroelectric power generation along the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The reservoir had an original storage capacity of 55.66 million cubic meters (Mm 3 ). Because of the importance of Lago Caonillas to the North Coast Superaqueduct, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with PRASA, conducted a sedimentation survey of Lago Caonillas between September and November 2012. Data collection began in September 2012; however, low water levels restricted the survey extent to about half of the reservoir, leaving the river deltas unaccounted for. Intense rainfall during October 2012 raised the water level to spillway elevation, and the remaining part of the reservoir was then surveyed. The results of these surveys were used to update the reservoir water storage capacity and to estimate its useful life.