The Uatumã River (sometimes spelled Uatamã) is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
flowing through the state of
Amazonas in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. It is a northern
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Amazon River, and known for its extensive
peacock bass population. It is a
blackwater river
A blackwater river is a type of River#Classification, river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial ...
.
The river flows through the
Uatuma-Trombetas moist forests ecoregion.
During the wet season starting in December, water levels can rise some 25 to 40 feet. Water levels have been strongly affected by the building of the controversial
Balbina Dam on the river in the mid to late 1980s to generate electricity. The hydroelectric dam generates an average of 112.2 MW of electricity from the river system and floods a total of 2360 km
2 of rainforest around the Uatumã river.
From the point where the river emerges from the dam it defines the east boundary of the
Caverna do Maroaga Environmental Protection Area, established in 1990.
The
Uatumã Biological Reserve
Uatumã Biological Reserve () is a biological reserve (Brazil), Biological reserve around the river Uatumã River, Uatumã in the state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas in Brazil.
Location
The Uatumã Biological Reserve is divided betwee ...
established in 1990 is a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
around the river in the municipalities of
São Sebastião do Uatumã
São Sebastião do Uatumã is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Its population was 14,352 (2020) and its area is 10,741 km2.
Geography
The municipality contains part of the Uatumã Biological Reserve, a strictly ...
and
Itapiranga.
The
Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve
The Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve () is a Sustainable development reserve (Brazil), sustainable development reserve in the state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas, Brazil. The land is owned by the state, but the reserve has a popula ...
protects the lower part of the Uatumã River basin.
References
Rivers of Amazonas (Brazilian state)
Tributaries of the Amazon River
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