Canal del Dique

The canal is a bifurcation or artificial arm of the Magdalena River, and its eastern portion forms most of the border between the departments of Bolívar and Atlántico.

[2] Thus, trade moved increasingly away from Cartagena to Santa Marta and Sabanilla[2] (a port near the mouth of the Magdalena, later eclipsed by Puerto Colombia and Barranquilla).

By 1831 traders in the city began to lobby for the canal's reopening, but repeated efforts to redredge the channel failed and by the end of the 19th century a railroad had replaced it.

[5] Since 2013, river diversions have been planned with Dutch company Royal Haskoning DHV to control sediment and water flow along the canal.

[6] This has led to creation of a new mangrove wetland area, land building and ecological restoration in the region.