Complex Problems and Adaptive Water Resource Engineering Solutions during the Construction of Rio Ojo de Agua Flood Control Project

The Rio Ojo de Agua Flood Control Project was authorized to reduce flood damages to the historic municipal area of Aguadilla in Puerto Rico. Storms frequently impact the city of Aguadilla with significant flooding and sediment loads, which include large rocks and debris. The impacted area is highly urbanized with several significant historical sites that were preserved. The project has a concrete crib dam that was constructed at the upstream portion of the project to reduce the amount of debris and rock that flows into the city. The downstream portion was constructed with a high-velocity channel and culvert for supercritical flow that was cut relatively deep into a Karst formation, which contained an artesian well that was extremely close the newly constructed channel. That well is pristine with a major historical significance to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the City of Aguadilla. This paper will describe the successful design and construction of the project features. It will also focus on the method of construction and the required onsite monitoring techniques that were performed to preserve the historic sites including the well during the construction of the project. This paper will spotlight the water resource engineering aspects of the project, such as how the construction features were built in a flash flood environment and how the project preserved the maintenance of flow through the project area. Other key technical water resource engineering aspects of the project such as the installation of gauges and on-site monitoring and testing to prevent any groundwater impacts during the construction and post-construction phases to the historical well will be demonstrated.