The Rivière Les Matheux is a 20 km-long (12 mile) river which waters the rural sections of Fond Baptiste and Matheux in the commune of Arcahaie, located in the Western Department of Haiti.
Geography[]
Its course is about 20 kilometers long (12 miles). It provides 38 liters (10 gallons) of water per second. It could contribute with other rivers or sources to supply some habitations located between Sources Puantes and the western end of the Vases rural section, today unoccupied for lack of water.
The water of Matheux irrigates several habitations by means of a dike built by the French. Strictly speaking, this dike is nothing more than a crude dam of rocks which the interested parties are always obliged to rebuild in times of drought to raise the level of the water which feeds the canals. This dam is washed away at the slightest swelling of the water from the Arcahaie River which, in the rainy season, turns into a torrent and completely cleans its bed. The remains of the old dike can still be seen, and it is presumed that the foundations still exist. In this case the reconstruction of the dike could be done without difficulty; there would only be to take the necessary precautions against the strong pressures of torrential water.
Even if the old foundations were not found, the reconstruction work would only take longer and the precautions greater, because of the shifting ground which forms the bed of the river. This reconstruction of the Matheux dike would capture the entire river and with the additional throughput of large distribution channels, it would also make it possible to take into account the grievances of the new owners whose water rights are contested by the former owners, and, by a new distribution, to put an end to the serious conflicts that this situation creates; Because if it is true that the water rights of the former owners must be respected and the new landlords are none the less very interesting and they also have the right to the solicitude of the government; It is for this purpose that the Secretary of State for Public Works, Mr. Clément Haentjens, instructed the engineer Léon Latortue, on January 7, 1890, to visit the premises and to make a report. This report was published in the Moniteur of 23 January 1890.