Maipo River

The Maipo River is the main river flowing through the Santiago Metropolitan Region and the Valparaíso Region of Chile. It is located just south of the capital of Santiago. The Mapocho River, which flows through central Santiago, is one of its tributaries. Its headwaters are on the west slope of Maipo volcano, in the Andes. The Maipo River is by far the major source of irrigation and potable water for the region.[1][2]

Maipo River
Map of the Maipo River watershed
Location
CountryChile
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationAndes Mountains, south of Unnamed Hill 3996
 • coordinates34.225°S 69.849°W / -34.225; -69.849
MouthPacific Ocean
 • location
San Antonio, Chile
 • coordinates
33.6134°S 71.6288°W / -33.6134; -71.6288
Length250 km (160 mi)[1]
Basin size15,304 km2 (5,909 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • average92.3 m3/s (3,260 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightEl Volcán, Yeso and Colorado

The rivers mouth bar have moved to disconnect the river from the sea several times in history, for example, after the 2010 Chile earthquake and then again since January 19, 2023.[3] This last change in bar morphology was a consequence of a storm surge.[3] By January 28 a ditch had been made to reconnect the river to the sea.[4] Governor of Valpraíso Region Rodrigo Mundaca criticized however the fact that works were carried out without permission.[4]

Low discharge rates caused by excessive uptakes of water in Maipo River have been credited for the inability of the river to break naturally through the bar in January 2023.[3][4]

Course

In its upper course the river runs as an entrenched torrent through the Andes mountains. Here, it receives three major tributaries: the El Volcán River, the Yeso River and the Colorado River. After leaving the Andes, the Maipo flows through the valley that bears its name, which is one of the principal wine-producing region in Chile.[2] The Maipo River travels 250 km (160 mi) before emptying into the Pacific Ocean, near the locality of Llolleo, south of the port of San Antonio.

References
  1. Cuenca del río Maipo Archived 2012-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Cai, Ximing; Claudia Ringler; Mark W. Rosegrant (2006). Modeling Water Resources Management at the Basin Level: Methodology and Application to the Maipo River Basin. Washington DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. ISBN 978-0-89629-152-2.
  3. Olivares Nieto, B. (2023-01-26). "Río Maipo no desemboca en el mar desde el jueves pasado: Las razones del fenómeno". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  4. Zamarin, Felipe (2023-01-28). "Río Maipo vuelve a desembocar en el mar tras construcción de zanja para encauzar caudal". Radio Bío-Bío.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)


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