Limay River 2.69

The Limay River is an important river in the northwestern Argentine Patagonia (the region of Comahue). It is born at the eastern end of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and flows in a meandering path for about 380km, collecting the waters of several tributaries, such as the Traful River, the Pichileufú and the Collón Curá. It then meets the Neuquén River and together they become the Río Negro. At this confluence lies the city of Neuquén.The river serves as natural limit between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén. Its deep waters are clear, and carry a large flow, 700m3/s on average. Its drainage basin has an area of 61723km2 and includes almost all the rivers and streams of the Atlantic basin in the region, as well as an extensive network of lakes.The waters of the Limay are used to generate hydroelectricity at the five dams built on its course: Alicurá, Piedra del Águila, Pichi Picún Leufú, El Chocón, and Arroyito; together with the Cerros Colorados Complex on the Neuquén River they contribute with more than one quarter of the total hydroelectric generation in the country. The construction of the successive dams and reservoirs has reduced the length of the river, originally about 450km. Next to it, at the town of Arroyito, was constructed in the 1980s the only heavy water plant in South America.