The work on the transference of water from the Río Grande to the Atuel River, which promised years ago to help alleviate the water crisis in Mendoza, is still pending.
The Province has the right to use 34 m3/s that the court determined belong to them from the Río Grande River, located in the southern part of the territory.
The issue is that this project was linked to a dam project, Portezuelo del Viento, which has already been shelved, and the problem of scarce natural resources continues to grow.
What’s happening with the transference from Río Grande to Atuel River in Mendoza
The Río Grande and the Barrancas are tributaries of the Colorado River, which after passing through territories of Mendoza, Neuquén, La Pampa, Río Negro, and Buenos Aires provinces, flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
This occurs through a delta located about 100 kilometers south of Bahía Blanca, contributing around 130 m3/s of freshwater to the sea.
The province could take advantage of this resource but apparently, there are no concrete plans to carry out the project.
The utilization of the water from the river in Mendoza was interrupted some time ago, and with the non-construction of Portezuelo, part of the allocated funds began to be invested in other projects. The dam project was not resumed, and consequently, the transference from Río Grande to Atuel River was put on hold.
The project
In 2021, as indicated by the provincial government at that time, the transference project was planned with multiple purposes, such as generating more energy in the existing dams and mitigating climate change.
Mendoza would use the water quota allocated to them for agriculture in productive oases. On the other hand, the transference would add significant energy generation to the existing hydroelectric plants, such as Nihuiles I, II, III, and IV, by increasing the flow rate.
However, to date, the call for proposals for the project has not been resumed.
These are essential projects to combat the water crisis in Mendoza. Resources from different regions of the province are affected by issues related to availability, quality, and increasing demand for use, especially for irrigation and human consumption.
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