Lake Cerrillos is a man-made lake located in barrio Maraguez

Maragüez

Maragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...

, Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

. The lake was finished in 1992 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The main purposes of the reservoir are flood control, water supply, and recreation. There is a variety of fish available for fishing such as lobinas, tucunares, chopas, barbudos y tilapias. The 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games

1993 Central American and Caribbean Games

The 17th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. The Games were held from November 19 to November 30, 1993 and included 3,570 athletes from 32 nations.-Organization and Planning:...

 that were held in Ponce staged the canoeing competitions in this lake. It was used in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games

The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from July 18, 2010 to August 1, 2010.-Bid:...

 for the sports of Canoeing

Canoeing at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games

The Canoeing competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games was being held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.The tournament was scheduled to be held from 20–21 July at the Lake Cerrillos in Ponce.-Men's events:-Women's events:...

, Rowing

Rowing at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games

The Rowing competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games was held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.The tournament is scheduled to be held from 25–28 July at the Lake Cerrillos in Ponce.-Men's events:-Women's events:-External links:*...

.

Dam

The Lake Cerrillos Dam is located about four miles (6 km) northeast of Ponce. Construction of the dam started in 1984. After its completion in 1992, it still took a few more years for the initial filling of the reservoir. Lake Cerrillos Dam has a total capacity of 59 million cubic meters. In lieu of flood gates, it provides more than 80,000 cubic meters of water daily to the local population through a 434 meters long by 6 meters in diameter tunnel at the dam base.

The dam is 323 feet (98.5 m) high by 1555 feet (474 m) wide (Over 1/4 mile). The Dam is located 9.5 miles (15.3 km) from the coast of Ponce, at 323 feet (98.5 m) above sea level. It provides a volume of 47900 acre.ft for flood control, as well as an estimated 22000000 USgal/d of drinking water.

Park

A recreational park was built as part of the development. The park includes two ramps that may be used to launch boats, kayaks, canoes etc. There are also a few nature trails. Open kiosk

Kiosk

Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...

s with barbecue facilities intended for family and friend gatherings are also part of the park. There are five recreational areas: Campo de Recreo, El Atracadero, Bella Mirada, El Mirador, and Alto Balcón. This area was desinated as a state forest under an Executive Order and it consists of more than 200 cuerdas of land.

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games

In 2010 Lake Cerrillos facilities were further improved to accommodate the rowing, canoeing and kayak games of the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games hosted in the city of Mayaguez. The improvements were made at a cost of $350,000.