South Negril River

River in Jamaica

South Negril River

Location
Country| Jamaica
Physical characteristics
Source|
• coordinates| 18°16′40″N 78°15′22″W﻿ / ﻿18.2778°N 78.2560°W﻿ / 18.2778; -78.2560
• elevation| About 250 feet (76 m)[1]
Mouth|

• coordinates

| 18°16′48″N 78°20′52″W﻿ / ﻿18.2800°N 78.3479°W﻿ / 18.2800; -78.3479

• elevation

| Sea level[1]
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[edit]

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[edit]

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

* Two small road bridges carrying the New Hope - Delve Bridge road.
* A small road bridge carrying the Springfield - New Hope road.
* Five cane field service road plank bridges, north of Retreat.
* A small road bridge north of Springfield carrying the Springfield - Sheffield road.
* A pipe bridge north of Sheffield.
* A road bridge carrying the southern end of the main road paralleling Negril's seven mile beach. This modest structure is the largest bridge over the river.

## Tributaries[edit]

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

## See also[edit]

* List of rivers of Jamaica

## References[edit]

General

* Ford, Jos C. and Finlay, A.A.C. (1908).The Handbook of Jamaica. Jamaica Government Printing Office

Inline

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica sheet B, 1958.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Wikimapia Distance Measure.
3. ^ Aerial view of source.
4. ^ Aerial view of mouth.
5. ^ Satellite imagery from Google via Wikimapia

## External links[edit]

* Aerial view of mouth
* Aerial view of source

* v
* t
* e

List of rivers of Jamaica

* Alligator Hole
* Annotto
* Back
* Black
* Broad
* Buff Bay
* Cabarita
* Cane
* Cave
* Coleburns Gully
* Dry
* Dunn
* Ferry
* Flint (Hanover)
* Flint (St Mary)
* Great
* Green Island
* Guava
* Gut
* Hectors
* Hope
* Llandovery
* Lucea East
* Lucea West
* Martha Brae
* Milk
* Montego
* Morant
* Morgans
* Negro (St. Mary)
* Negro (St. Thomas)
* New Savannah
* North Negril
* One Eye
* Oracabessa
* Orange
* Pagee
* Plantain Garden
* Port Maria
* Rio Bueno
* Rio Cobre
* Rio Doro
* Rio Grande
* Rio Magno
* Rio Minho
* Rio Nuevo
* Rio Pedro
* Roaring
* Rotten Gut River
* Salt
* Smith
* South Negril
* Spanish
* Stony
* Sweet
* Swift
* Thicket
* Wag Water
* White
* YS
* Yallahs

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