Meia Ponte River

Paraná Basin in Brazil

The Rio Meia Ponte is a right tributary of the Rio Paranaíba in Brazil in the state of Goiás and Paraná river system belongs to. West of the dam of the Cachoeira Dourada Reservoir it flows as a right tributary from the north into the Rio Paranaíba (see map, the Meia Ponte is not shown there).

River

The source area is located northeast of the village Itauçu in the municipality of Taquaral de Goiás west of the Serra dos Brandões and about 60 km north-northwest of Goiânia. From Itauçu follows state highway GO- 070 on the western side of the river course until Goiânia. The Rio Meia Ponte flows through the capital in the northeastern quadrant and changes its direction to the city on the South. From the width of Bela Vista de Goiás, the river changes its general flow direction to south-southwest, which he maintains on the border with Minas Gerais up to its confluence with the Rio Paranaíba. The estuary is about 15 km west of the town of Cachoeira Dourada. In the village of Vale do Paraíso in the municipality of Rio Meia Ponte Piracanjuba the small reservoir is in Represa do Rochedo ( German: rocky embankment, cliff ) jammed.

The Rio Meia Ponte and its 30 tributaries drain together 38 municipalities.

Water pollution

For the metropolitan region of Goiânia with about two million and for the nearly three million residents in its catchment area of Rio Meio Ponte is very important for water supply. However, the river receives large amounts of waste, industrial waste and raw sewage, which weighed heavily on the quality of its water. So the city Goiânia over 90 % of waste water passes untreated into the river. Currently, a sewage treatment plant located in Goiânia under construction. A measurement of water quality downstream of Goiânia showed that the river contains over a distance of 60 kilometers below Goiânia low levels of dissolved oxygen, which is only very limited permits the survival of aquatic organisms. The latter is a very important prerequisite not only for agricultural activities.

In addition, take the dry summer up to six months so that the Meia Ponte does not lead enough water to cover all the needs in the metropolitan region of Goiânia in water. The rationing of water is therefore common in the summer. Recently, a project was initiated to rehabilitate this important river.