Ozama River
The Ozama River in the Dominican Republic rises in the Loma Siete Cabezas in the Sierra de Yamasá, close to Villa Altagracia.
In 1498, Bartolome Colon had a fort built on the Ozama. The estuary at that time, "teemed with fish and where the Indians raised cassava and yams," according to Floyd.
The river flows before emptying into the Caribbean Sea. At the end of the journey it bisects the capital, Santo Domingo, into eastern and western halves. The three main tributaries of the Ozama are the Isabela River, the Sabita River and the Yabacao River.
The Ozama's basin is the fourth largest in the Dominican Republic. The river has several tributaries, with a combined area of. The river basin has an annual precipitation of to per year.
The River Ozama is heavily polluted. It is constantly affected by the slums on its shores and the factories that dump their waste into it. It is one of the main causes of pollution on the coastline of Santo Domingo.
