Costa Rica News – The Tarcoles River goes through 36 municipalities and five provinces, taking up 4% of the country.
It begins in Cartago and feeds a multitude of rivers through San Jose, Heredia and Alajuela.
It ends in Puntarenas, bringing all of the garbage acquired through the other provinces and depositing it on beaches in Puntarenas. It is the communities of Tárcoles, Azul and Guacalillo that are paying for the poor waste management in the Central Valley.
In 2007 a complaint was filed by a resident of Garabito. He explained that this problem is negatively impacting the ecosystem as well as causing health problems in the community. Additionally tourists no longer want to visit the area, affecting the local economy.
A commission was formed in 2008 to work on three watersheds. 11 districts are involved in the effort, but it is not enough. Removing waste is only the first part of the solution.
We must also control pollution from the sources and reforest damaged areas around the river.
