The Limay River is an important
river in the northwestern
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
Patagonia (the region of
Comahue). It originates at the eastern end of the
Nahuel Huapi Lake and flows in a
meandering path for about , collecting the waters of several
tributaries, such as the
Traful River, the Pichileufú and the Collón Curá. It then meets the
Neuquén River and together they become the
Río Negro. At this confluence lies the city of
Neuquén.
The river serves as natural border between the
provinces of
Río Negro and
Neuquén. Its deep waters are clear, and carry a large flow, on average. Its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
has an area of and includes almost all the rivers and streams of the
Atlantic basin in the region, as well as an extensive network of lakes.
The waters of the Limay are used to generate
hydroelectricity at the five
dams built on its course:
Alicurá,
Piedra del Águila,
Pichi Picún Leufú,
El Chocón, and
Arroyito; together with the
Cerros Colorados Complex
The Cerros Colorados Complex is a group of dams and hydroelectricity generation facilities on the lower valley of the Neuquén River, in Neuquén, Argentina.
Overview
The complex was started in 1969, and the first machine started functioning in 1 ...
on the Neuquén River they constitute more than one quarter of Argentina's total hydroelectric power generation. The construction of the successive dams and reservoirs has reduced the length of the river, which originally measured about . In the 1980s the only
heavy water plant in
South America was constructed next to the river at the town of
Arroyito.
The river is also used for
fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...
; in some locations its banks are suitable as beach
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
s, with facilities for
camping.
The origin of the word comes from the Mapuche indians and it means, crystalline, that you could see to the bottom.
Gallery
File:San Carlos de Barilocge 7.jpg,
File:Rio Limay 3.jpg,
File:Rio Limay 2.jpg,
File:Rio Limay 10.jpg,
References
* Colbert E. Cushing, Kenneth W. Cummins, G. Wayne Minshall: ''River and Stream Ecosystems of the World: With a New Introduction''. University of California Press 2006, , S. 280ff
eingeschränkte Online-Version (Google Books)
Argentour— ''Río Limay''
Ministry of Environment— Hydrological basins of Argentina.
Ministry of Economy— Provincial Economic Overview, Neuquén, August 2005.
{{Authority control
Rivers of Río Negro Province
Rivers of Neuquén Province
Rivers of Argentina