Baker River (Chile)
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| Baker River | |
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| Origin | Bertrand Lake |
| Mouth | Baker Channel, Pacific Ocean |
| Basin countries | Chile/Argentina |
| Length | 170 km [1] |
| Source elevation | 200 m [1] |
| Avg. discharge | 576 m³/s (Source) [1] |
| Basin area | 26,726 km² [1] |
The Baker River is a river located in the Aisén Region of the Chilean Patagonia. It is Chile's largest river in terms of volume of water. The river flows out of Bertrand Lake, which is fed by General Carrera Lake. It runs along the east side of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field and empties into the Pacific Ocean, near the town of Caleta Tortel. The river forms a delta, dividing into two major arms, of which only the northernmost one is navigable.
Its characteristic turquoise-blue color is due to the glacial sediments deposited in it.
It is the site of a proposed hydro-electric project by the Chilean and Spanish owed Endesa, the biggest hydro-electric project in the history of Chile, which will flood farmland and affect the tourism income in the Aysen Region. It will produce 2,400 MW for the Interconnected Central System (Sistema Interconectado Central, Chile's main grid), whose energy consumption increases by 6% every year, making a crucial source of energy, particularly given the high price of fossil fuels and the lack of reliability of shipments of natural gas from Argentina.
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[edit] Tributaries
The river also receives the waters of the Cochrane Lake through the Cochrane River. Other major tributaries are:
- Nef River
- Chacabuco River
- Del Salto River
- Colonia River
- De los Ñadis River
- Ventisquero River
- Vargas River
[edit] References
[edit] Gallery
 Kayaking is a popular sport on the river. |
 Winter 2006 |
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[edit] External links
- Endesa Opponents Call Foul The Santiago Times
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