Bogotá River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bogotá River | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Páramo de Guacheneque, Villapinzón |
| Mouth | Magdalena River at Girardot |
| Basin countries | Colombian department of Cundinamarca |
| Length | 375 km (233 mi) |
| Source elevation | 2,300 m (7,550 ft) |
| Avg. discharge | 31-41 m³/s (1,100-1,450 ft³/s) |
| Basin area | 6,000 km² (2,300 mi²) |
The Bogotá River is a major river of the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, crossing the region from the northeast to the southwest and passing along the western limits of Bogotá. The large population and major industrial base in its watershed have resulted in extremely severe contamination problems for the river.
[edit] Course
The headwaters of the Bogotá River are in the municipality of Villapinzón, in the northeastern part of Cundinamarca near the limits with Boyacá. It has a course of about 150 km as it crosses the Bogotá Savannah, passing through eleven small municipalities, before reaching the city of Bogotá. As it runs along the western border of the city, the river forms the outlet for the heavily polluted Salitre, Funza and Tunjuelito Rivers. After passing through the municipality of Soacha, the Bogotá River plunges off the Savannah at the Tequendama Falls. It then follows a steep course, falling about 2,000 meters in 50 km, to join the Magdalena River at Girardot.
[edit] External links
Eduardo Uribe Botero (2005), "The water treatment plants of the Bogotá River: Case study", Universidad de los Andes - CEDE. [1]
Centro Italiano per la Riqualificazione Fluviale (2003), "El problema del Rio Bogotá", 3rd World Water Forum. [2]
