Amutui Quimey Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Amutui Quimey Reservoir |
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 Amutui Quimey Reservoir
Location in Argentina
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| Location | Chubut Province |
| Coordinates | 43°03′S 71°42′W / 43.050°S 71.700°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Frey, Stange, and Canelo Rivers |
| Primary outflows | Futaleufú River |
| Catchment area | 4,650 km2 (1,800 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Argentina |
| Max. length | 38 kilometres (24 mi) |
| Max. width | 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) |
| Surface area | 86.7 square kilometres (21,400 acres) |
| Average depth | 64.7 m (212 ft) |
| Water volume | 8.37 cubic kilometres (6,790,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Residence time | 1.02 years |
| Surface elevation | 485 metres (1,591 ft) |
Amutui Quimey Lake is a large reservoir, which is a man-made lake, located in Chubut Province, Argentina. It is part of a group of lakes in the Futaleufú River system. This river system eventually flows into the Pacific Ocean in Chile, passing through Yelcho Lake and the Yelcho River.
The Futaleufú dam was finished in 1976, and that's when the valley filled up to create Amutui Quimey Lake. The lake sits in a narrow valley surrounded by mountains shaped by glaciers. This lake is very important because it helps produce a lot of electricity, about 2600 gigawatt hours each year. Most of this power is used for an aluminum factory in the city of Puerto Madryn.
Amutui Quimey Lake is found in the Andes mountains, inside Los Alerces National Park. The name "Amutui Quimey" comes from the Mapuche language. It means "lost beauty," which refers to how beautiful the valley was before it became a lake. To protect its natural beauty, no buildings are allowed along the lake's edge. Visitors can only come during the day.
About the Lake and Rivers
The Frey River flows for about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from Kruger and Futalaufquen lakes into Amutui Quimey Lake. You can't reach the Frey River by road, but many people enjoy floating down it. It's famous for trout fishing, amazing views, and exciting whitewater rapids.
The river's flow can be between 100 and 350 cubic meters per second (3,500 to 10,000 cubic feet per second). This means the rapids can be quite strong, ranging from class 3 and 4 when the water is low, to even stronger class 4-plus rapids when the water is high. To the east of the Frey River, you'll see the Situación Range. The highest point in this range is Cerro Situación, which is about 2,250 meters (7,380 feet) above sea level.
Lakes Covered by the Reservoir
When Amutui Quimey Lake was created by the dam, its waters covered four smaller lakes that were already there.
- Lake Situación was located where the Frey and Canelo Rivers met. It was about 14.5 square kilometers (3,580 acres) in size and had a maximum depth of 105 meters (344 feet).
- In the Canelo River area, there were three other lakes:
- Lake Quiñe (meaning "One") was about 3.9 square kilometers (960 acres) and 58 meters (190 feet) deep.
- Lake Epu (meaning "Two") was about 6.7 square kilometers (1,660 acres) and 119 meters (390 feet) deep.
- Lake Cula (meaning "Three") was about 14.7 square kilometers (3,630 acres) and 245 meters (804 feet) deep.
The water from Amutui Quimey Lake flows out into the Futaleufu River. This river travels a short distance through Argentina before crossing into Chile, where it becomes a very well-known river for whitewater rafting and kayaking.
See also
In Spanish: Lago Situación para niños
