Río Sucio, El Salvador (click here for the El Salvador table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III+ ; Flow: 200-700 cfs; Average Gradient: 3 m/km; Portages: small dam; Length: up to 51 km; Time: up to 7 hours

Season: June to October ; rafts? no; Highlights: ; Crux move:

Put-In: Nueva Argentina (440 m) or below; Take-Out: Hacienda Vieja (273 m) or above

Description: (click here for general notes about my descriptions)

The Río Sucio is a low-gradient creek in a cultivated, industrialized, and populated area just south of the Río Lempa. Despite the resulting pollution, it offers some pleasant paddling and nice scenery with a bit of birding and a variety of river features when the rains kick in.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater El Salvador, Honduras, & Nicaragua guidebook.

Descent History: I ran the upper section in September 2013 (with flows 350 cfs to 450 cfs), the lower parts in September 2011 (with 550 cfs). (Again, this was before the hydroelectric plant was upgraded/expanded.)