Río Lerma
Río Lerma | ||
Rivers of Mexico |
||
Data | ||
location | Mexico | |
River system | Río Grande de Santiago | |
Source height | 2600 m | |
muzzle |
Lake Chapala coordinates: 20 ° 12 '26 " N , 102 ° 46' 21" W 20 ° 12 '26 " N , 102 ° 46' 21" W. |
|
Mouth height | 1510 m | |
Height difference | 1090 m | |
Bottom slope | 1.5 ‰ | |
length | 708 km | |
Bridge over the Río Lerma |
Río Grande de Santiago | ||
River system | Río Grande de Santiago | |
source |
Lake Chapala 20 ° 19 ′ 2 ″ N , 102 ° 47 ′ 29 ″ W. |
|
Source height | 1510 m | |
muzzle | at San Blas in the Pacific 21 ° 37 ′ 55 ″ N , 105 ° 26 ′ 46 ″ W |
|
Mouth height | 0 m | |
Height difference | 1510 m | |
Bottom slope | 2.7 ‰ | |
length | 562 km | |
Reservoirs flowed through | Aguamilpa dam , El Cajón dam , La Yesca dam |
The Río Lerma Santiago is with approx. 708 km Mexico's second longest river after the Río Bravo del Norte . Most of the time, the two sections Río Lerma and Río Grande de Santiago are viewed separately.
course
The Río Lerma (formerly also called Chicnahuapan ) rises south of the Nevado de Toluca about 24 km southeast of the city of Toluca in the state of México and then flows mainly in a north-westerly direction. It forms the political border between the states of Querétaro and Michoacán and flows through Guanajuato . After about 700 km it flows into Lake Chapala , from where it flows under the name Río Grande de Santiago and flows into the Pacific Ocean 16 km north of San Blas in the state of Nayarit .
The catchment area up to the confluence with Lake Chapala is the Lerma-Chapala Basin .
Usage and pollution
The non-navigable Río Lerma forms a main water reservoir for the capital Mexico City and its surroundings. The river suffers from intensive use as a fuel and through the industrial belt of the Bajio. It is dammed in Nayarit by the Aguamilpa dam and the El Cajón dam .
The water quality was severely impaired by industrial and human wastewater (aguas negras) , but has improved somewhat in recent years due to the construction of sewage treatment plants . However, several previously very popular edible fish have become extinct.
Tributaries
- Río Lerma
- Río Laja
Reservoirs
- Río Lerma
Presa Tepuxtepec , Presa Solís
- Río Grande de Santiago
Presa Santa Rosa , Presa El Cajón , Presa Aguamilpa
Bigger places on the river
- Río Lerma
Toluca , Ixtlahuaca , Acámbaro , Salvatierra , Salamanca , Numarán , La Piedad de Cabadas , Yurécuaro , La Barca (Jalisco)
- Río Grande de Santiago
Ocotlán , Poncitlán , Juanacatlán , Tonalá , San Cristóbal de la Barranca , Santiago Ixcuintla , Villa Hidalgo ,
See also
Web links