La Vieja River
Encyclopedia
La Vieja River is a river in the Colombia
n
departments of Quindío
, Valle del Cauca and Risaralda
.
It is a major tributary of the Cauca River
.
The river is formed by the joining of the Quindío River
and the
Barragán River in an area known as the Valle de Maravelez. It has a
length of 102 km and flows in a northwesterly direction, meeting the
Cauca River approximately 7 km north of Cartago. Major
tributaries include the Roble, Consota, Barbas, Espejo and Pijao rivers. La Vieja forms the limit between the
departments of Quindío and Valle del Cauca; it also forms part of
the limit between Risaralda and Valle del Cauca.
The river basin has an area of 2,925 km² and includes the entire
department of Quindío. Although Cartago is the only major urban
area situated directly on the river, the cities of Armenia
and Pereira
are
located in its watershed. The average river flow is 92 m³/s.
Recreational use of the river includes the increasingly popular tourist activity balsaje, in which groups of up to 16 people explore the slow-flowing river in large rafts made of guadua
. The majority of these excursions depart from Puerto Samaria in the municipality of Montenegro, Quindío, and arrive at Puerto Alejandrino in neighboring Quimbaya
. The number of participants has grown from 400 during 2000 to over 11,000 in 2003, and there are at least a dozen firms offering this service.
La Vieja has significant contamination problems,
primarily due to inadequate waste water treatment in its watershed.
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...
n
departments of Quindío
Quindío Department
Quindío is a department of Colombia. It is in the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains. Its capital is Armenia. It is famous for the quality of the coffee plantations, colorful architecture, benign weather, variety of hotel accommodations and touristic landmarks...
, Valle del Cauca and Risaralda
Risaralda Department
Risaralda is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central region of the country and part of the Paisa Region. Its capital is Pereira.It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966...
.
It is a major tributary of the Cauca River
Cauca River
The Cauca River is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. 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...
.
The river is formed by the joining of the Quindío River
Quindío River
Quindío River is the principal river of the department of Quindío, Colombia. It combines with the Barragán River at the Valle de Maravelez to form La Vieja River, in turn a tributary of the Cauca River.Quindío River has a length of 69 km...
and the
Barragán River in an area known as the Valle de Maravelez. It has a
length of 102 km and flows in a northwesterly direction, meeting the
Cauca River approximately 7 km north of Cartago. Major
tributaries include the Roble, Consota, Barbas, Espejo and Pijao rivers. La Vieja forms the limit between the
departments of Quindío and Valle del Cauca; it also forms part of
the limit between Risaralda and Valle del Cauca.
The river basin has an area of 2,925 km² and includes the entire
department of Quindío. Although Cartago is the only major urban
area situated directly on the river, the cities of Armenia
Armenia, Colombia
Armenia is the capital of Quindío, a department in Colombia. The city is located at coordinates 4.5170° north, 75.6830° west, 290 kilometers west of Bogotá. Armenia is a mid-size city located between Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, the 3 largest Colombian cities. The city's area code for phone calls is...
and Pereira
Pereira, Colombia
Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban...
are
located in its watershed. The average river flow is 92 m³/s.
Recreational use of the river includes the increasingly popular tourist activity balsaje, in which groups of up to 16 people explore the slow-flowing river in large rafts made of guadua
Guadua
Guadua is a Neotropics genus of thorny clumping bamboo, ranging from moderate to very large species. Physically, Guadua angustifolia is noted for being the largest Neotropics bamboo. The genus is similar to Bambusa and is sometimes included in Bambusa...
. The majority of these excursions depart from Puerto Samaria in the municipality of Montenegro, Quindío, and arrive at Puerto Alejandrino in neighboring Quimbaya
Quimbaya, Quindío
Quimbaya is a town and municipality in the western part of the department of Quindío, Colombia. It is 20 km northwest of the departmental capital Armenia...
. The number of participants has grown from 400 during 2000 to over 11,000 in 2003, and there are at least a dozen firms offering this service.
La Vieja has significant contamination problems,
primarily due to inadequate waste water treatment in its watershed.