La Matanza River
The Matanza River is known by several names, including, in Spanish, Río de la Matanza ("the slaughter river" in English),Río Matanza ("slaughter river"),Río Mataderos ("slaughterhouses river"),Río de la Manzana ("the apple river") or simply Riachuelo ("little river"). It is a 64-kilometre (40 mi) stream in Argentina that originates in the Buenos Aires Province and defines the southern boundary of the Buenos Aires federal district. It empties into the Río de la Plata between Tandanor and Dock Sud. The La Boca neighbourhood and the Boca Juniors football club are located near the Riachuelo's mouth. The Spanish word boca means "mouth".
The river's course has been canalized and channelized in places, especially along its lower course.
From its source down to La Noria Bridge on Avenida General Paz, the river is usually referred to as Río La Matanza, and from that point onwards as Riachuelo. Approximately 3.5 million people live in its drainage basin of 2,240 km2 (865 sq mi).
The south-easterly storm wind, known as Sudestada, hinders the waters of the Riachuelo from reaching the Río de la Plata, producing frequent flooding in low-lying areas like La Boca and Barracas. Since 1995 a number of flood control projects have been carried out to prevent such occurrences.
The Matanza's main tributaries are the Cañuelas, Chacón, and Morales streams in the Province of Buenos Aires, and the Cildáñez stream (currently piped) in the Greater Buenos Aires urban area. The Matanza receives large amounts of industrial waste from the numerous factories along the river, especially tanneries, which makes the Matanza/Riachuelo a polluted river. Among the most dangerous contaminants are heavy metals and waste water from the basin's saturated layers. A contentious political subject since at least the 1862–68 administration of President Bartolomé Mitre, the Riachuelo's plight has attracted the attention of other public figures, notably artist and Greenpeace activist Nicolás García Uriburu, who dyed the waterway green in 1970, and on World Water Day (March 22) in 2010, to draw attention to the problem.
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