Futaleufú River

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The Futaleufú River is a river fed by the lakes in the Los Alerces National Park in Chubut Province, Argentina, crossing the Andes Mountains into Chile and opening into the Yelcho Lake.

The river is known for its deep blue waters created by glacier till deposited in the river, and for its white water currents, which attract rafters and kayakers from around the world. The Chilean government has recently proposed creating a hydroelectric dam, which may jeopardize the free flow of the river in the near future. This project is not expected to start until after 2012 as the Endesa Power company is intent on first building a dam on the Baker river South of Futaleufú.

The Futaleufú Department of Chubut Province in Argentina was named after this river.

The town of Futaleufú, Chile is close to the Argentine border and has a population of about 2,000. The main income for the community is fly fishing, white water rafting, and tourism.