GRIOGRAN

INFORMATON

Rio Grande is born in the western hill-side of the mountain of Mantiqueira in altitudes of the order of 1.250 m, inside the state of Minas Gerais; it travels not more than 1.300 Km before joining to the river Paranaíba creating the river Paraná, approximately in the quota of 300 m.

    The great difference expired by the course of water and the considerable discharges liquid resultants of the high pluviometric indexes of the superior area of the hidrografic basin, become the rio Grande and several of its main tributary, with great interest for the generation of electric energy. Due to this fact and the proximity of the consuming centers of eletric energy , numerous uses hidrelétricos have been built and projected along its course and its tributary basin, constituting one of the largest sources and reservations of energy in the country.

    The Big river is navigable in an extension of 59 Km in the immobility of the dam of Ilha Solteira (mouth/dam Red Water).

    Due to the several existent dams, the river counts with several pull isolated in satisfactory conditions for the sailing of great load; these pull are, even so, relatively short, not being, for this reason, used as waterways.

    The Rio Grande river drains a total area of 161 thousand Km in the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo. Starting from its heads, the river travels entirely about 700 Km in mining territory and starting from fork with the river Canoes, it makes border between São Paulo and Minas Gerais, for about 600 Km.

    The Big river can be divided in the following characteristic spaces:

Inferior Rio Grande

    From the fork of the river Paranaíba to the mouth of the Brown river with total extension of 382 Km. It presents considerable width, medium declivity of 42 cm/Km, with several waterfalls.

    The depths between the waterfalls and rapidses are quite high, surpassing 10 m in many points, even in low waters.

Medium Rio Grande

    From the mouth of the Brown river to the mouth of the Cervo river , with total extension of 552 Km. It has smaller widths than the space the jusante, even so almost always surpassing 350 m. the medium declivity of the space is from order of 58 cm/Km, having great pull with very small declivity, tied by waterfalls and rapidses of considerable concentrated difference. In a considerable part of the space, the river runs fit in deep throats, with about 500 m of width.

    The Medium Rio Grande river is channeled by the dams of Jaguara, Strait, Peixoto and Furnas, whose reservoir has a total length of more 300 Km. These dams, most of all located in the Waterfalls and referred Rapidses, has high plenty heights.