La Leche River ( es, Río La Leche), meaning ''the milky one'', is a river of

Lambayeque Region Lambayeque () is a department and region in northwestern Peru known for its rich Moche and Chimú historical past. The region's name originates from the ancient pre-Inca civilization of the '' Lambayeque''. It is the second-smallest departmen ...

in northwestern Peru, although some of its water come from the northern

Cajamarca Region Cajamarca (; qu, Kashamarka; ay, Qajamarka) is a department and region in Peru. The capital is the city of Cajamarca. It is located in the north part of the country and shares a border with Ecuador. The city has an elevation of above sea le ...

. La Leche arises off the northern slopes of Mount Choicopico, , at an altitude of in

Ferreñafe Province The Ferreñafe Province is the smallest of three provinces of the Lambayeque Region in Peru. Boundaries * ''North'': Piura Region * ''East'': Cajamarca Region * ''South'': Chiclayo Province * ''West'': Lambayeque Province Political division ...

, of Lambayeque Region. Its two main tributaries are the Moyán and the Sangana rivers, both right-hand tributaries. Formerly the river ran parallel to the Motupe River as it entered the saline

Sechura Desert The Sechura Desert is a coastal desert located south of the Piura Region of Peru along the Pacific Ocean coast and inland to the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Its extreme aridity is caused by the upwelling of cold coastal waters and subtrop ...

; however, due to

stream capture Stream capture, river capture, river piracy or stream piracy is a geomorphological phenomenon occurring when a stream or river drainage system or watershed is diverted from its own bed, and flows instead down the bed of a neighbouring stream. ...

it now has the Motupe River flowing into its bed at , with the resultant river being called the Motupe. During the rainy season, mid November to mid April, but especially during El Niño events, La Leche can experience severe flooding, and in some years by the end of the dry season it can almost disappear. Traditionally stone levees were used to try to control the flooding, but in the 21st century upland dams are being used. The valley of La Leche is variously forested, grassland and agricultural. The largest town along La Leche is

Incahuasi Incahuasi (; possibly from Quechua: ''inka'' Inca, ''wasi'' house) is a volcanic mountain in the Andes of South America. It lies on the border of the Catamarca Province of Argentina and the Atacama Region of Chile. Incahuasi has a summit elevat ...

. Both the Laquipampa Wildlife Refuge and the Pómac Forest Historical Sanctuary are along La Leche.

Notes and references

Further reading