The Chagres National Park is located between the Province of Panama and Colon

Colón, Panama

Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....

, in the Eastern sector of the Panama Canal with a total surface area of 129000 hectares (318,765.7 acre).

The park contains tropical rain forests and a set of rivers which provide sufficient water to guarantee the operation of the Gatun Lake

Gatun Lake

Gatun Lake is a large artificial lake situated in the Republic of Panama; it forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carrying ships for of their transit across the Isthmus of Panama....

, main lake of the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

: The Chagres River

Chagres River

The Chagres River is a river in central Panama. The central part of the river is dammed by the Gatun Dam and forms Gatun Lake, an artificial lake that constitutes part of the Panama Canal. Upstream lies the Madden Dam, creating the Alajuala Lake that is also part of the Canal water system...

 and the Gatun River

Gatún River

-References:* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.*CIA map, 1995....

.

Panama Canal Watershed

The park was created in 1985, with the aim of preserving the natural forest that composes it to produce water in amount and quality sufficient to guarantee the normal operation of the Panama Canal, to supply potable water for the cities of Panama, Colon

Colón, Panama

Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....

 and la Chorrera

La Chorrera

La Chorrera is a town and municipality in the southern Colombian Department of Amazonas. The population is largely engaged in agricultural production, hunting, fishing, and banana and cassava growing...

, and the generation of electricity for the cities of Panama and Colon.

For the operation of the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

it is necessary to maintain high water levels, since each boat that crosses the locks needs around 52 million nonrecoverable gallons of fresh water.