Río Rapel – SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Rapel river , it is a natural water course that flows in the region of the General Liberator Bernardo O’Higgins, formed in the confluence of the Cachapoal and Tinguiririca rivers, which converge in the place called “La Board”, which has currently been flooded by the Lake Rapel, in the Cordillera de la Costa. The Rapel Lake was created in 1979 with the construction of the Rapel Hydroelectric Power Plant.

From the Board, the river runs to the Northeast, to its mouth that is located in the town of La Boca (Christmas) at the border with the Valparaíso region. In its route, it does not receive tributaries of importance, the most significance being the estuary Alhué.

It has a 14 177 km² basin, its length is 60 km, it has a 162 m³/s flow.

The Rapel river itself is relatively short, however its basin brings considerable water and energy to its region and others. Luis Risopatrón map of 1910, without the Rapel reservoir.

Flow and regime [ To edit ]

The flow of the Rapel river itself is controlled by the gates of the Rapel Hydroelectric Power Plant.

With regard to the flow rate, the General Directorate of Aguas divides the Rapel River Basin into 7 sub -basins:

1. Alta sub -basin of the Cachapoal, area drained by the high channel of the Cachapoal River, from its origin in the Andes mountain range to the confluence with the estuary the chain, including the Pangal River. A numer regime is observed, with its floods in December and January, the result of thaws. The estiaje period occurs in the quarter given by the months of June, July and August.
2. Average sub -basin of the Cachapoal, from the confluence of the estuary the chain to the union with the clear river of Rengo, both tributaries included. It has a nivo-pluvial regime, in which there is a greater numerous influence than rainfall. In rainy years, the floods are presented between June and July, and December and January, product of winter rains and thaws mountains, respectively. The estiaje period is in the quarter given by the months of April, May and June.
3. Low sub -basin of the Cachapoal, is the lower part of the Cachapoal River basin, from the Board of the Zamorano Estero to the mouth of the Cachapoal in the Rapel reservoir, including the Zamorano Estero Hoya. It shows a pluvio – nival regime, since there is a greater rainfall than nival, however the latter is not negligible. The greatest flows are observed between June and July, a product of winter rains. The period of estiaje occurs in the quarter given by the months of January, February and March, mainly due to the intensive use of water for irrigation.
4. High sub -basin of the tinguiririca, the area drained by the upper part of the Tinguiririca River, from its birth in the Andes mountain range to before the Board with the Claro River (Tinguiririca). It shows a nivo – storm regime with its greatest flows between December and January, however important flows presents in June and July in very humid years. The estiaje period is generally presented in the quarter given by the months of April, May and June.
5. Low sub -basin of the tinguiririca, the lower part of the Tinguiririca River, from the Board with the Claro River to its mouth in the Rapel reservoir, including the Hoyas del Río Claro (Tinguiririca) and the Chimbarongo estuary. It shows a pluvio – nival regime, with the largest flows in June and July, product of winter rains, and to a lesser extent in November and December due to thaws. The estiaje period is presented in the quarter given by the months of February, March and April, due to intensive use of water for irrigation.
6. Alhué sub -basin, area drained by Estero Alhué, which flows into the Rapel reservoir. It shows a purely rainfall, with its largest flows between June and August, product of winter rains. From November to April there are fair irrigation.

Rapel river map in 1877.

Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga and Cienfuegos wrote in 1899 in his The geographic dictionary of the Republic of Chile over the river:

Rapel .–Main river of Chile formed of the Cachapual and Tinguiririca meeting verified by the 34 ° 20 ‘lat. and 71 ° 29 ‘lon. and thing three kilometers south of the town of Llallauquén and 113 meters above the level of the Pacific. From this point, called the Board, it is directed towards the No. With a moderately Pando course of 0.2 per 100, which does not fall from 60 kilometers to download in the Pacific under 33 ° 55 ‘lat. and 71 ° 51 ‘lon. Throughout this extension his bed is shallow and inappropriate for browsing the banks and obstructions that he is sown, despite the flow it contains, and by the bar of his mouth; although within it it forms a tortuous and deep estuary of more than five kilometers up to a little above Licanchén and that the tide stuffed. Outside of the mouth and adjacent to the north angle, an open cove that has been declared a minor port by decree of December 6, 1870, and four to five kilometers towards NO. They lie the rappers, erroneously called Topocalma, in which three clubs are built in water, between which and the coast remains vapor passage. The main tributary of this river is Alhué’s stream, which receives on the left below Llallauquén. Its original name appears to be Rapalevu, alteration or contraction of Fife. Species of clay, and leuvu, river, what would be: river that contains or carries this kind of silt.

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