Mariano Corral

Hydrology and Hydraulics of the Suquía River Basin

The Suquia River Basin is regulated by the San Roque Dam, which is located in its upper basin. With a basin area of over 1,750 km2 and a mean streamflow of 9.8 m3 s−1, the Suquia is the second river of the Province of Cordoba (Argentina), according to its streamflow. Downstream from the dam, the river, in its middle basin, runs across a mountain area and then through the city of Cordoba. After leaving the city, in its lower basin, it flows for approximately 150 km towards the northeast until its mouth in the Mar Chiquita Lake. Therefore, the Suquia River has an endorheic basin. The San Roque Dam was designed as a multipurpose dam, and its priority uses include flood mitigation, water supply, irrigation and power generation. On its journey through the city of Cordoba, the Suquia River is urbanised with bridges, fords, coastal roads and a flood plain that is used for recreational purposes. Several studies were conducted to estimate extreme basin events. The basin characteristics were determined by both conventional methods and hydrological modelling. The maximum rainfall records arose from the frequency analysis of 21 rainfall stations installed along the basin.