Cauca River
Encyclopedia
The Cauca River is a river in Colombia
that lies between the Occidental
and Central
cordillera
s. Born in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán
, it joins the Magdalena River
near Pinillos
in Bolívar Department
, and the combined river eventually flows out into the Caribbean Sea
. It has a total length of 1350 km. from origin to mouth. The river is under the supervision of the Corporación Regional del Cauca and the Corporación Autonoma Regional del Valle del Cauca.
, seven gold mines that also add industrial pollutants such as mercury, some 8 sand mills, plus a couple of mines of coal
and bauxite
. Cali
, the largest city over the river depends on the river in a 76 percent. Adding to these other affluent rivers collect residual waters from other major cities and deposit an approximate of 330 tons of residual waste into the river, by the time it gets to Yumbo
the river has no oxygen.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
that lies between the Occidental
Cordillera Occidental, Colombia
The Cordillera Occidental is one of three branches of the Andes Mountains in Colombia that divide at the Node of Pasto, extending from south to north from Nariño to the Node of Paramillo in Córdoba....
and Central
Cordillera Central, Colombia
The Cordillera Central range is one of the three branches of ridges in the Andes Mountains that split in southern Colombia towards the north up to the Montes de Maria....
cordillera
Cordillera
A cordillera is an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges, that runs along a coastline . It comes from the Spanish word cordilla, which is a diminutive of cuerda, or "cord"...
s. Born in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán
Popayán
Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between Colombia's Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range...
, it joins the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
near Pinillos
Pinillos
Pinillos is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia....
in Bolívar Department
Bolívar Department
Bolívar is a department of Colombia. It was named after one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. It is located to the north of the country, extending from the coast at Cartagena near the mouth of the Magdalena River, then south along the river to a border with Antioquia.Its...
, and the combined river eventually flows out into the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. It has a total length of 1350 km. from origin to mouth. The river is under the supervision of the Corporación Regional del Cauca and the Corporación Autonoma Regional del Valle del Cauca.
Environmental issues
On November 18, 2007, Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that the river was receiving an average of 500 tons of residual waters a day. Pollution from the city of PopayánPopayán
Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between Colombia's Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range...
, seven gold mines that also add industrial pollutants such as mercury, some 8 sand mills, plus a couple of mines of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
. Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, the largest city over the river depends on the river in a 76 percent. Adding to these other affluent rivers collect residual waters from other major cities and deposit an approximate of 330 tons of residual waste into the river, by the time it gets to Yumbo
Yumbo
Yumbo is a small, industrial city and municipality located in western Colombia. It is located in the Valle del Cauca department, just north of Cali...
the river has no oxygen.