The Jacuí River (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒakuˈi]) is a river in Rio Grande do Sul state of southern Brazil. The Jacuí empties into the Guaíba River, an estuarine arm of the Lagoa dos Patos, a large coastal lagoon connected to the Atlantic Ocean.

Jacuí River
The Jacuí River near Porto Alegre
Jacuí River watershed (Interactive map)
Native nameRio Jacuí (Portuguese)
Location
CountryBrazil
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationRio Grande do Sul state
 • elevation720 m (2,360 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Lago Guíaba at Porto Alegre, Brazil
 • coordinates
30.03, -51.25
Length723 km (449 mi)
Basin size71,807.9 km2 (27,725.2 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • locationPorto Alegre (near mouth)
 • average(Period: 1970-2000)2,086.5 m3/s (73,680 cu ft/s)[1]

Sources

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The Jacuí River, known as 'Rio Jacuí' in Portuguese, has its origins in the highlands east of Passo Fundo.[2] From there it flows south and then east for nearly 300 mi (480 km). The Taquari, Caí, Sinos, and Gravataí rivers merge into the Jacuí near its mouth. At Porto Alegre, near the Atlantic coast, the Jacuí transforms into a shallow estuary, known as the Guaíba River, and flows into the Patos Lagoon.[2] Boats can travel up the river as far as Cachoeira do Sul.

Regional effects

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The Dona Francisca Hydroelectric Dam impounds the upper Jacuí River, and is divided between the municipalities of Agudo and Nova Palma, Rio Grande do Sul.[3] The Quarta Colônia State Park is on the left bank of the reservoir of the Dona Francisca dam, with an area of 1,847.9 hectares (4,566 acres). The park was created in 2005 as environmental compensation for the hydroelectric plant.[4]

The estuary contains the Banhados do Delta Biological Reserve, which protects the islands of Pólvora and Pombas.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jacui".
  2. ^ a b "Jacuí River". Britannica Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  3. ^ Dona Francisca (in Portuguese), OSAB: Observatório Sócio-Ambiental da Baragens, archived from the original on 2019-05-23, retrieved 2017-01-20
  4. ^ Parque Estadual Quarta Colônia (in Portuguese), SEMA: Secretaria do Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Sustentável, retrieved 2017-01-20
  5. ^ Parque e APA Estadual do Delta do Jacuí (PDF) (in Portuguese), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-05-30, retrieved 2016-04-25

30°01′58″S 51°14′46″W / 30.0328°S 51.2461°W / -30.0328; -51.2461