Confusing Names

The second Rio Puerco is rather unknown to me.  I have not found very much information about it and, until a few minutes ago, I could not find it on a map. Here is what I do know about it: It rises only 4 miles southeast of the first Rio Puerco that I spoke of. It is also in Santa Fe National Forest in the
Sierra Nacimiento. It is in the national forest for about one-third of its length. It flows generally in a northeast direction and empties into Abiquiu Reservoir, which was created by a dam across the Rio Chama. The Rio Chama is one of the major tributaries of the Rio Grande, so the first two "Rio Puercos" are in the same watershed, the Rio Grande watershed, even though they start on different sides of a mountain range.
 This Rio Puerco is only about 45 miles long and flows past the villages of Arroyo del Agua, Coyote and Youngsville on its short journey. It also flows past a ghost town called Rio Puerco in its short journey. A detailed map I have marks it as a perennial stream for most of its length, but, that being said, I am sure the flow is small like it is in most of the rivers in New Mexico. The only major road this Rio Puerco crosses  is State Highway 96, which is a major connector between U.S. Highway 84 and U.S. Highway 550. The latter highway follows the first Rio Puerco for over 20 miles.
  The third Rio Puerco is commonly called "Rio Puerco of the West," but, officially, it is just "Rio Puerco."
It is west of the Continental Divide, whereas the other two rivers that share its name are east of the divide.
This Rio Puerco rises in two forks. The North Fork (the main stream) rises near Hosta Butte (elevation 8,620 feet) in central McKinley County about five miles south of Crownpoint, on the Navajo Indian Reservation. The South Fork rises in the Zuni Mountains, in Cibola National Forest near the town of McGaffey. The South Fork of the Rio Puerco is about 20 miles long. It meets the North Fork on the edge of Gallup, the county seat of McKinley County.  From the head of the North Fork to the mouth of the Rio Puerco just outside Holbrook, Arizona, it is a distance, in river miles, of 132 miles. From the confluence of the two forks of the Rio Puerco of the West, the river is in a nearly straight, man-made, channel for about 10 miles. It is entrenched between the railroad tracks and Interstate 40 and 'flows' just north of downtown Gallup, the principal city on the river.This river 'flows' west and meets the Little Colorado River just outside of Holbrook, Arizona, so it is part of the Colorado River watershed.
  The Rio Puerco of the West is one of the most polluted rivers in the country. For about 35 miles, from a mine on the North Fork near Church Rock, to a point a few miles inside Arizona, it has been a perennial,
or year-round, river in recent years. However, the river's year-round flow consists mostly of treated and untreated waste from uranium mines, waste from truck stops and trailer parks and repeated discharges of untreated effluent from the Gallup Sewage Treatment Plant.
  On July 16, 1979; 94 million gallons of radiactive water and uranium tailings spilled into the North Fork of the Rio Puerco after breaching a nearby tailings pond. It seriously contaminated about 50 miles of the river. This contamination was on top of the other contamination that had been occurring over the years from the effluent and other types of waste. The river is considered by most people to be a dumping ground unfit for humans and animals. At least in the past few years, some "progress" has been made. Most of the time, the Rio Puerco just a dry, sandy bed again. Normally, drying up a river is not progress, but in this case, it is. The Gallup Sewage Treatment Plant still sends the occasional discharge down the riverbed, but for the most part, the only time it flows is after spring snowmelt or heavy rains. I would prefer this situation to the alternative.
  The Navajo word for the river is "To Nizhoni," which means "beautiful water." But that description is no longer accurate.
  The Rio Puerco of the West lends its name to Gallup's shopping mall--Rio West Mall. Interstate 40 and the railroad follow the river for most of the river's length. The legendary Route 66 once shadowed the river for nearly 100 miles.
  To further add to the confusion of three  rivers in New Mexico called Rio Puerco, consider this: As soon as the Rio Puerco of the West crosses the state border into Arizona, it is no longer called "Rio Puerco."  Instead, it is called "Puerco River."  "Puerco River" appears on all highway signs in Arizona while "Rio Puerco" appears on all highway signs in New Mexico. The "Rio Puerco" appellation in New Mexico is due to that state's heavy Spanish influence, even though this part of the state has a heavy Indian influence and very little Spanish influence.