Tunasan River

Infobox River
river_name = Tunasan River


image_size =
caption =
origin = Dasmariñas, Cavite
mouth = Western lobe of Laguna de Bay
basin_countries = Philippines
length = 9 kilometers
elevation =
mouth_elevation = less than 2 meters above sea level
discharge =
watershed = The Tunasan River ("Tagalog: Ilog ng Tunasan"), also referred to as the Tunasan-Cuyab River, is a river system in the Philippines. This river begins in Dasmariñas, Cavite, and ends 9 kilometers later at the border of Muntinlupa City, and San Pedro, Laguna. It is one of 21 major tributaries of Laguna de Bay. [cite web |title=Tunasan-Cuyab River |publisher=Municipal Government of Muntinlupa |url=http://www.muntinlupacity.gov.ph/lake/river/208.htm |format=HTML |accessdate=2007-08-20 ]

The river system has six adjoining creeks:
*There are two in San Pedro, Laguna and Dasmariñas, Cavite
*Three creeks joins the system from the ponds of The Filipinas Golf Club, and
*The last one connects from the drainage system of RMT Complex.

The depth of the Tunasan currently varies from two meters to 0.25 meters

Tunasan got its name from a medicinal plant, the Opuntia tuna variety of prickly pears, which the Spanish imported from Mexico and the West Indies when they colonized the Philippines. [cite web |last =Gil R. Miranda |first=Gil R. Miranda |authorlink=Gil R. Miranda |title=San Pedro |work=Driving Through Laguna’s History: A Laguna Travelogue |publisher=Provincial Government of Laguna |url=http://www.laguna.gov.ph/Articles/travelogue/travel2.htm |format=HTML |accessdate=2007-08-20 ]

The tunasan received media attention in 1994 and 1995 due to a series of "fishkills" caused by the high Biochemical Oxygen Demand from decomposing water lilies, and by the profusion of residential wastes that find their way into the river during the rainy season. [Citation |last=Caber |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Caber |title=Muntinlupa officials investigate fish kill |newspaper=The Manila Standard |year=2006 |date=5 February 2006 |url=http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=police05_feb07_2006 ]

References

ee also

* Laguna de Bay
* Laguna Lake Development Authority