Naposta Stream
Encyclopedia
Arroyo Napostá is located in the region of Bahía Blanca
, Buenos Aires Province
, Argentina
It is a stream whose watershed is located in Sierra de la Ventana
, about 120 km north east to Bahía Blanca
. It was essential during the early history of the city of Bahia Blanca as a source of water and also as a natural defense against aborigine. Later on it was useful as a water supply for agriculture.
It drains to the Atlantic Ocean
reaching the Estuary of Bahia Blanca. It forms meander
s before and as it enters the city in the area of Club de Golf Palihue, then Parque de Mayo, where a weir
(small dam
) has been built at a natural split, to avoid flooding after heavy rains in Ventana mountain range
. If flow increases enough and the level of the stream surpasses the weir, water flows also to the alternative branch reaching the estuary by Maldonado stream.
From there downstream (at this natural split at Parque de Mayo) it flows naturally through the city although it has been piped shortly thereafter to create a greenspace named "Paseo de las Esculturas", which became quite popular in the last years, and a very interesting urban area by which properties increased substantially their price since then. Unfortunately Napostá is heavily contaminated distally, even before reaching the city, probably due to techniques of fertilization carried out in the areas which form its watershed, mainly close to the city http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0717-77122005000200001&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en
Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca is a city located in the south-west of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, and seat of government of Bahía Blanca Partido. It has a population of 274,509 inhabitants according to the...
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Sierra de La Ventana
Sierra de La Ventana is a picturesque village in Tornquist Partido in the southeast of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. With a population of 1,819 inhabitants , it is one of the most attractive tourist centres in the Province and has numerous recreation areas and parks.The town, originally...
, about 120 km north east to Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca is a city located in the south-west of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, and seat of government of Bahía Blanca Partido. It has a population of 274,509 inhabitants according to the...
. It was essential during the early history of the city of Bahia Blanca as a source of water and also as a natural defense against aborigine. Later on it was useful as a water supply for agriculture.
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
reaching the Estuary of Bahia Blanca. It forms meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
s before and as it enters the city in the area of Club de Golf Palihue, then Parque de Mayo, where a weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
(small dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
) has been built at a natural split, to avoid flooding after heavy rains in Ventana mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
. If flow increases enough and the level of the stream surpasses the weir, water flows also to the alternative branch reaching the estuary by Maldonado stream.
From there downstream (at this natural split at Parque de Mayo) it flows naturally through the city although it has been piped shortly thereafter to create a greenspace named "Paseo de las Esculturas", which became quite popular in the last years, and a very interesting urban area by which properties increased substantially their price since then. Unfortunately Napostá is heavily contaminated distally, even before reaching the city, probably due to techniques of fertilization carried out in the areas which form its watershed, mainly close to the city http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0717-77122005000200001&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en