The Río Grande de Loiza is a river that spans just about 40 miles and runs around the North coast of the island of Puerto Rico, on the eastern side of the island. The river has 32 miles of water too rough for sailing and navigating, but the last 8 miles were straightened and made navigable. The river then empties into the Atlantic Ocean, but the reservoirs along the way are most of the water source for the city of Old San Juan. The river is the second longest on the island, a close second to the Río de la Plata. The river crosses many municipalities on the way down to the Atlantic. In 1953, a dam was built in the Río Lazio project. This dam generates a lot of energy for the neighboring municipalities. This river isn't just a body of water though. This river has a poem about it by famous Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos. It symbolized all the pain native people living on the island had to endure. This makes the river not only one of the biggest rivers in Puerto Rico but also a symbolization of something so much bigger than 40 miles.