South Negril River

South Negril River
Country Jamaica
Basin
Main source About 250 feet (76 m)[1]
18°16′40″N 78°15′22″W / 18.2778°N 78.2560°W / 18.2778; -78.2560 (Primary source of South Negril River)
River mouth Sea level[1]
18°16′48″N 78°20′52″W / 18.2800°N 78.3479°W / 18.2800; -78.3479 (Mouth of South Negril River)Coordinates: 18°16′48″N 78°20′52″W / 18.2800°N 78.3479°W / 18.2800; -78.3479 (Mouth of South Negril River)
Physical characteristics
Length 15 kilometres (9.3 mi)[2]
Mouth of
South Negril River
The South Negril River, Jamaica at 1:50,000.

The South Negril River is a river in Westmoreland, Jamaica.

Course

The head of the river is at the base of a row of hills that rise more than 500 feet (150 m) above the inland edge of the coastal plain.[1][3]

From its head the river meanders south for about 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi),[2] passes under a small bridge carrying the New Hope - Delve Bridge road,[1] then swings east in a 600 metres (2,000 ft)[2] clockwise arc round the base of a ridge of the hills (passing under two small road bridges as it does so, the first carrying the New Hope - Delve Bridge road and the second the Springfield - New Hope road)[1] before heading south west through sugar cane fields for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi)[2] in a straight, open culvert to a point just north west of the village of Retreat.[1]

From Retreat the river arcs clockwise to flow north west out of the sugar cane into an area of swampy ground.[1] After a further 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi)[2] it enters a region of small low hills, flowing through a defile in the middle of these for another 1 kilometre (0.62 mi)[2] before emerging to pass under a bridge carrying the Springfield - Sheffield road.[1]

Returning to flat agricultural terrain it continues north and west a little further, then arcs anti clockwise round another small hill to establish the westerly tendency which will carry it to the sea.[1] At the end of this 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi)[2] section it passes under a small bridge carrying the Springfield - Sheffield road and reaches the south east corner of the Great Morass just north of the village of Sheffield.[1]

Over its final 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi)[2] the river broadens dramatically as it flows along the southern edge of the Great Morass, gathering water as it goes, finally entering a culverted section and passing under its largest bridge (which carries the southern end of the main road paralleling Negril's seven mile beach) and out into the Caribbean Sea.[1][4]

Along its route the river passes a number of small settlements and named regions including (working downstream from east to west):[1]

  • Spring Garden
  • Saint Pauls
  • Retreat
  • Top Hill
  • Negril Spots
  • Cato
  • Springfield
  • Sheffield
  • Nonpariel
  • Whitehall
  • Negril Town

Throughout its 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) length the river falls no more than 250 feet (76 m) giving it a very gentle average gradient of about 1 in 200.

Infrastructure

Working downstream from source to mouth the South Negril River passes under:[1][5]

Tributaries

The South Negril River has no tributaries of any consequence.[1]

See also

References

General
Inline
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica sheet B, 1958.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wikimapia Distance Measure.
  3. ↑ Aerial view of source.
  4. ↑ Aerial view of mouth.
  5. ↑ Satellite imagery from Google via Wikimapia
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