Río Machángara

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Río Machángara
Data
location Cañar and Azuay provinces in Ecuador
River system Amazon
Drain over Río Cuenca  → Río Paute  → Río Namangoza  → Río Santiago  → Río Marañón  → Amazon  → Atlantic Ocean
Headwaters Cordillera Occidental , 26 km north-northwest of Cuenca
2 ° 41 ′ 13 ″  S , 79 ° 6 ′ 32 ″  W
Source height approx.  4000  m
Association with Río Tomebamba to Río Cuenca Coordinates: 2 ° 53 ′ 15 ″  S , 78 ° 57 ′ 15 ″  W 2 ° 53 ′ 15 ″  S , 78 ° 57 ′ 15 ″  W.
Mouth height approx.  2420  m
Height difference approx. 1580 m
Bottom slope approx. 37 ‰
length 43 km
Catchment area approx. 310 km²
Right tributaries Río Chulco
Flowing lakes Laguna Machángara Cocha
Reservoirs flowed through Chanlud dam
Big cities Cuenca

The Río Machángara is the 43 km long left source river of the Río Cuenca in the provinces of Cañar and Azuay in the south of Ecuador .

River course

The Río Machángara rises 26 km north-north-west of Cuenca in the Cordillera Occidental at an altitude of about 4000  m . The upper reaches are in the province of Cañar. The Río Machángara initially flows in a predominantly north-northeast direction. It flows through the approximately 3800  m high lake Laguna Machángara Cocha . The river then turns to the southeast. At river kilometer 29, the Río Machángara is dammed by the Chanlud dam. The Río Machángara turns south from river kilometer 23. After another 5 km the Río Chulco meets the river coming from the west. The Saucay hydropower plant is located on the right bank above the confluence . The Saymirín hydropower plant is located on the right bank of the river, 12.5 km above the junction of the Río Machángara and the Río Tomebamba to the Río Cuenca . On its last kilometers, the Río Machángara flows through the northern suburbs of Cuenca.

The catchment area of the Río Machángara covers an area of ​​about 310 km².

Use of hydropower

Chanlud dam

The Chanlud dam ( ⊙ ) is located at river kilometer 29 on the upper reaches of the Río Machángara. It was built between 1994 and August 1996 and officially went into operation on July 16, 1997. The dam consists of a 51 m high arched weight wall made of reinforced concrete. The storage volume is 17 million m³. The approximately 3460  m high reservoir covers an area of ​​approximately 68 ha. The dam serves as a water reservoir for the Saucay and Saymirín hydropower plants, especially during dry periods. An approximately 9 km long aqueduct leads the water below the dam to the upper basin of the Saucay hydropower plant.

El Labrado dam

The El Labrado dam ( ⊙ ) is also called La Presa Lcdo. Daniel Toral Vélez . It is located on the Río Chulco , a right tributary of the Río Machángara. The dam was built between November 1969 and April 1972. It consists of a 13 m high gravity dam . The storage volume is 6.2 million m³. The reservoir lies at an altitude of around 3400  m . It has a water surface of around 58 hectares. An approximately 7.5 km long water pipe leads the water below the dam to the compensation basin of the Saucay hydropower station.

Saucay hydropower plant

The Saucay hydropower plant ( ⊙ ) is also called Central Hidroeléctrica Ing. Fernando Malo Cordero . The power plant was built in two stages. In 1978 it received two Pelton turbines of 4000 kW each, and in 1982 two Pelton turbines of 8000 kW each. The power plant thus has an installed capacity of 24 MW. Two 1317 m long pressure pipes lead the water from the equalization basin down to the power station building ( ⊙ ). The expansion water volume is 7.2 m³ / s. The fall height is 425 m. The 4 units deliver a voltage of 4160 V. A substation then increases the voltage to 69 kV. The water is fed back into the river below the power station.

Saymirín hydropower plant

The Saymirín ( ⊙ ) hydropower plant is also called Central Hidroeléctrica Sr. Arturo Salazar Orrego . It was built in 1956 and initially had two Pelton turbines of 1250 kW each. In 1963 two more Pelton turbines were added, each 1960 kW. In 1995 the power plant was supplemented by two Francis turbines , each 4000 kW. The total installed output is thus 14,420 kW. About 500 m below the Saucay hydropower plant, the water from the Río Machángara is diverted at a weir ( ⊙ ) and fed to the compensation basin ( ⊙ ) of the Saymirín hydropower plant via an approximately 5.7 km long water pipe . Three 345 m long pressure pipes lead the water from the equalization basin to the power plant. The expansion water volume is 7.9 m³ / s, the head is 212 m. The 4 older units deliver a voltage of 2400 V. A substation then increases the voltage to 22 kV. The last two units also deliver a voltage of 2400 V, which is then converted into 69 kV. Below the power station, the water returns to the Río Machángara.

f1Georeferencing Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Energía que Genera Confianza - Centrales y Represas . Electro Generadora del Austro SA. Accessed January 31, 2019.