FORTRESS RIVER

1. INTRODUCTION FORTALEZA RIVER

The Fortaleza River basin, part of the Pacific hydrographic system, has an area
total drainage, up to its mouth in the Pacific Ocean, of 2348 km². and a length
maximum length, from its sources to its mouth, of 111 km; it presents, due to
to the topographical conditions that characterize it, an average slope of 4%, which becomes
stronger reaching up to 9% in the section between the towns of Upapampa and Vado
Duck and, especially, in the ravines of the upper basin of Jarachacra (17%) and Patap (14%). The
The surface area of the wet collecting basin or 'rain collector basin' is 1298 km2.
limit, approximately, at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, that is, almost 55% of the area of the
The basin significantly contributes to surface runoff.
The hydrographic network belonging to the Fortaleza River is controlled by the flow measurement station, of type
limnimetric, from La Rinconada, located at 350 meters above sea level and 6 km downstream from the town of Anta;
This station measures the discharges of a total catchment area of approximately 1,648 Km2.
which includes 85% of the wet basin.

The course of the Fortaleza River, from its sources to its mouth in the Pacific Ocean, is
winding, especially in the first section, where it describes a large semicircle until its
confluence with the Sarpún Ruri river; then it flows until the Huacapampa ravine heading
Northeast to Southwest, finally describing a small curve until its mouth in the
Pacific Ocean.

2. LOCATION

The Fortaleza River basin is located north of Lima, in the departments of Ancash and Lima.
It crosses the district of Paramonga, from East to West, flowing its waters into the Pacific Ocean.
Geographically, the basin of the Fortaleza River is located between the parallels 10° 18' 51" of South latitude.
and the meridians 77° 36' 21" West longitude. Altitudinally it extends from sea level,
up to the line of the peaks of the Western Andes at an approximate altitude of
4,500 meters above sea level (Apaclla, 2010). Politically, the Fortaleza River Basin occupies part of the province
from Barranca, Lima Region and from the provinces of Recuay, Bolognesi, and Ocros of the Ancash Region.
It includes 12 districts: 7 districts in the upper part, 3 districts in the middle part, and 2 districts in the lower part.
lower part. The upper basin located between 1,500 to 4,500 m.a.s.l., includes the districts of
Cajacay, Huayllacayán, Antonio Raimondi-Raquia, Huayllapampa, Marca and Pampas Chico, as well as
five peasant communities. It is a highly mountainous area of the basin territory. The
The medium basin is located between 300 to 1,500 meters above sea level and includes the districts of Colquioc,
Pararín, Congas, and 4 peasant communities. The lower part located between 0 to 300 meters above sea level.
it includes the districts of Parangona, San Pedro de Copa, as well as numerous populated centers,
located mainly on the right and left bank of the river.
3. GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES OF THE FORTALEZA RIVER BASIN.

According to the consulted information, the Fortaleza River basin is delimited to

north, south, east and west. Hydrographically, it has well-defined boundaries, with the departments
from Lima and Ancash, that is the district of Paramonga-Lima, and the provinces of Bolognesi and Ocros.
Ancash is described as follows: To the north it borders the Huarmey River basin; to the south, it borders
with the Pativilca River basin; to the East with the basins of the Santa and Pativilca rivers; and to the West it borders
with the Pacific Ocean.

4. CONNECTION ROUTES WITH OTHER CITIES IN THE COUNTRY.

The Fortaleza River basin is composed of a paved road that crosses the basin from south to north.
starting from Patiblanca road, Panamericana Norte heading towards Huaraz. The districts of
They are in the basin connected to the capital of Lima by the Panamericana Norte highway about 183.
Km of distance. Similarly, the basin is interconnected with all its districts.
by dirt roads and toward Huaraz, the capital of Ancash, about 202 km away from
Pativilca heading to Huaraz. The road development in this part of the basin at the level of Ancash and
Lima will allow productive chains to have a prominent development process at a level
regional and national. Paramonga is a sugarcane production area, contributing nearly seven
one hundred thousand hectares planted.

5. DESCRIPTION OF THE BASIN

The source of the Fortaleza River originates in the heights of Laguna Huamblac and Macato; flowing through
its waters through the ravines of Upapampa and Moyocancha, converging to form the Fortaleza River.

The Pativilca River basin has a total drainage area up to its mouth in the sea.
of 2,348 km2, with an average slope of 0.016%.

The Fortaleza River flows through a narrow bed forming a valley of moderate width, reason
by which there is abundant water for the valley; likewise, it has banks formed by embankments
low, with an average height of 2.0–2.5 meters, being these areas prone to flooding
times of great avenues.

There is typical vegetation in the area such as: reeds, poplar, cat's claw, silly bird, etc. Regarding the
In the riverbed, the existence of diversion infrastructures can be appreciated, such as intake structures.
irrigation channels, hydraulic works, etc.

From its source to its mouth, the Fortaleza River runs 111 km, with the following
characteristics: Winding, deep and broken background, with a steep slope, rugged relief and
in abrupt parts; cutting with deep ravines and narrow gorges.
6. HYDROLOGY OF THE FORTALEZA RIVER

Similar to the rest of the rivers on the Peruvian coast, the Fortaleza River has a fluvial behavior, of
extreme scarcity in the dry months usually from May to December and abundant in the months
of maximum avenues (January to April).

Rainfall is relatively low in the winter months, with peaks occurring

peaks during the summer season, coinciding with the times of maximum flow, with a
annual maximum average of 20.00mm.

The Fortaleza River basin, due to its geographical location, is of great importance for multiple uses.
of water in the basin, so we have: population and agricultural use, of which the highest demands
They are directed towards population-agricultural use, so their treatment is very special.

In a referential manner, the historical flow records were analyzed, where a flow rate was obtained.
maximum occurrence of 80 m3/second in the month of January and a minimum flow during the month of
September of 1 m3/s.

7. CLIMATE

Temperature, the observed average is 19.5°C, this value corresponds to the conditions of
tropical climate. The temperature variations in the most representative seasons of the year are
higher than 23.1°C–25°C (month of February) and 16.6°C–20°C in winter (months of July and August).
The average relative humidity varies between 81% - 87%.

Rainfall is relatively low in the winter months, with peaks occurring

peaks during the summer season, coinciding with the times of maximum flows, with a
annual average of 20 mm/year.

7.1.RAINFALL

The rainfall in the basin is variable; in the lower and middle parts, the precipitation is
scarce and in the high part reaches up to 1000 mm/day. The distribution of the average precipitation
monthly, it shows variable behavior with values fluctuating between 0.00 mm and 11.60 mm;
March is the rainiest month, where the highest total annual precipitation is recorded.
the rainy season begins in the month of October and ends in April of the following year; being in this
period during which the rainiest time of the year is recorded. In the period from May to September, there
records 0.40 to 0.60 mm/day of precipitation, with July and August being the driest months, where
records 0.2 mm/day and 0.00 mm/day respectively. The areas with the highest precipitation are
located in the upper part of the basin, where the total annual precipitation exceeds 800 mm/day.
The area of least precipitation is located in the middle and lower part of the basin; where the
total annual precipitation can be 0.00 mm/day in some months. In the July-August period, it
they present the lowest values of precipitation, being in the month of August 0.00 mm/day, the most
drought of the year.
7.2. AMBIENTAL TEMPERATURE
By analyzing the air and soil temperature variable, it allowed us to understand its spatial distribution and
temporal (Tables 3 and 4 of the Annex). The average air and soil temperature in the basin records a
variable behavior, in its spatial and temporal distribution; recorded in January and February,
the highest air temperature, with values between 23.52º C and 23.53º C on average in the mid part
and lower in the basin and in the higher part it is colder, which can reach 8 to 12ºC. The temperature of
average minimum air in the basin shows a variable behavior in its spatial distribution
and temporal, during the month of July, with 16.30º C and the highest during February with 23.53º C.

RELATIVE HUMIDITY
When analyzing the relative humidity variable, it has been found that at medium and low levels, this variable
registers a uniform behavior in its spatial and temporal distribution, recording during
the period of June and July, the highest values range between 71.33% and 86.88%, while in the
The period of February and March has the lowest values at 71.33% and 72.83%.

7.4. WINDS

The wind speed variable is characterized by the wind distribution in the basin.
it experiences variable behavior in its spatial and temporal distribution, having
during the month of September the highest values of 4,913 m/s, while in the period of January and
In June, speeds occur more or less stably with values fluctuating between 4.112 m/s and 4.012.
km/hour.

8. GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION OF RÍO FORTALEZA

The Fortaleza River originates in the Ancash Department, Peru, at the foothills of the Black Mountain Range.
It has a length of just over 100 kilometers and a basin of 2,300 km². It presents a
extremely irregular regime, so much so that in the months from June to October it does not reach
flow into the Pacific Ocean. Its waters are intensely used for sugarcane cultivation.
of sugar. It crosses the agro-industrial valley of Paramonga, traverses the province of Barranca from east to
west, flowing its waters into the Create the valley of the same name. Its mouth is located
near the town of Pativilca.

Latitud: -10.6666667

Longitude: -77.8666667

-346527

UNI: -523349

UTM: SP81

JOG: SC18-09
9. DEMOGRAPHIC POPULATION

In the ten districts that make up the Fortaleza River basin, around 122,948 people live.
approximately 30,737 families. 65% of the families live in the urban area.
and approximately 35% in the rural area. 55.40% of families occupy the lower part of the
Cuenca. The population data are estimates as of June 2015. The total population of the districts
from the Fortaleza River basin, according to estimates and projections of the population by sex, which
it contains the estimates and projections of the population at the district level from 2013 to 2015,
there are 122,948 inhabitants as seen in it. In the district of Paramonga-Lima and San Pedro-
Ancash, located in the low area of the Fortaleza River basin, the total population, according to the IX Census
The National Population Census conducted in 1993 was 27,400 inhabitants, observing that the density
The male and female population was almost equal. The largest number of inhabitants was
focuses on the urban area with 24,224 inhabitants, which represents 84.41%, the majority of the
the population is made up of inhabitants aged between 15 and 29 years with 7,123
inhabitants and represents 25.99%; with the female sex being the most dense.

10. AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES

The lower basin of the Fortaleza River has an agricultural area of 2,808.96 hectares, with an area
under irrigation of 2,418.59 hectares. In the agricultural campaign 2004-2005, a total of 2,364 hectares were cultivated;
highlighting sugar cane with 828 hectares, representing 30.45%, hard yellow corn
with 1090 hectares at 50.33%. In addition, there are temporary crops: hard yellow corn, pepper.
pickled vegetables, paprika, onion, potato, bean, etc., and permanent crops: fruit trees, forestry, grasses,
sugarcane and alfalfa.

11. PAVED ROAD

The Fortaleza River basin has a sparse road network, consisting of a secondary road and
third order that allow to travel parallel to the course of the Fortaleza River, on the right bank
from the intersection of Panamericana Norte located at Km 205, district of Paramonga, it goes in the direction of
Huaraz-Ancash. It is the most important paved road in the area due to its
economic transcendence in the marketing of agricultural products from the Fortaleza valley with
the rest of the Peruvian coast. The social-economic activity of the population and the competition
Trade with other populated centers in the basin depends exclusively on this road.
good state of preservation, through it they are interconnected with the rest of the cities. For the
community members of the basin, transportation and communication routes are of utmost importance, because
facilitates the trade of its various products that they produce, to be
transferred to the different markets and nearby cities. Passenger transportation in the
The basin area is accessed by cars that travel from Lima to Huaraz and vice versa. The service
what provides are the interprovincial companies, which usually operate at night and are
automobiles organized in 2 committees but are not recognized by the competent authority.
12. WATER USE IN THE BASIN

12.1. DOMESTIC USE

The Fortaleza River basin has an approximate population of 48,123 inhabitants (INEI, 2007),
according to the population projection made by Benavides (2009), by 2015, there will be 122,948.00 inhabitants
approximately what they will demand for water. 30.20% of the population is provided with drinking water.
that is to say, 37,179.48 inhabitants with a per capita average of 204 l/day/capita, the rest consists of
the unserved population that represents 69.80% or 85,817.70 inhabitants whose consumption is
estimated at 1,235,000.00 m3/year. The populations in the coastal area of this basin are supplied
from the water coming from the subsoil and filtrations, its distribution in the population is through pillars
public; wastewater is thrown into the gardens and to a lesser extent into the septic tanks.

12.2. INDUSTRIAL USE

In the Fortaleza River basin, there is a significant sugar industry with a consumption
total water of 4,148,000.00 m³/year, located in the lower part of the valley, being the most important
the Paramonga industrial complex that produces sugar, paper, chemicals, plastics, etc.
their tributaries flow directly into the sea.

12.3. AGRICULTURAL USE

The agricultural area in the basin is approximately 14,524.33 hectares, it is estimated that 288,542
millions of m3 the total annual water consumption for agricultural purposes throughout the basin. Livestock use.
The livestock population reaches 485,480 animals, of which 122,680 are poultry and 112,179
animales menores, 126,545 ovinos, 52,593 vacunos, 34,211 caprinos, 20,226 equinos, 16,106
pigs and 940 camelids. Water consumption for livestock purposes has been estimated at 847,000
m3/year, the indicated figures include the Fortaleza, Pativilca, and Supe basins.