Vouga River () is a river in the

Centro Region The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco, ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The source of the Vouga is the Chafariz da Lapa, at an elevation of , in the parish of

Quintela Quintela () is a civil parish in the municipality of Sernancelhe Sernancelhe ( or ) is a municipality in the district Viseu, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5671, in an area of 228.61 km2. The present mayor is Carlos Silva Santiago, el ...

, municipality of

Sernancelhe Sernancelhe ( or ) is a municipality in the district Viseu, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5671, in an area of 228.61 km2. The present mayor is Carlos Silva Santiago, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The municipal holiday is May ...

Viseu District The District of Viseu ( pt, Distrito de Viseu ) is located in the Central Inland of Portugal, the District Capital is the city of Viseu. Municipalities The district is composed by 24 municipalities: * Armamar * Carregal do Sal * Castro Daire * ...

. The course of the river ends in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, in the form of a

ria A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...

, the

Ria de Aveiro The Aveiro lagoon (''Ria de Aveiro'') is a lagoon in Portugal. It is located on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, south of the municipality of Espinho and north of Mira (to the north of the Cape Mondego). Its average area covers approximately . It ...

Tributaries

* Águeda (

left bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...

) * Caima (right bank) * Sul (right bank) * Teixeira (right bank)

Environment

Cacia pulp and paper mill

effluent Effluent is wastewater from sewers or industrial outfalls that flows directly into surface waters either untreated or after being treated at a facility. The term has slightly different meanings in certain contexts, and may contain various pollut ...

, one of the major polluting sources of the Vouga River and

Aveiro Lagoon The Aveiro lagoon (''Ria de Aveiro'') is a lagoon in Portugal. It is located on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, south of the municipality of Espinho and north of Mira (to the north of the Cape Mondego). Its average area covers approximately . It ...

, is discharged into the Aveiro coastal area. The area has an unpleasant smell due to the effluent. Rivers of Portugal Natura 2000 in Portugal {{Portugal-river-stub