ECOWATER TECHNOLOGIES LTDA

The Hydrographic Region of Uruguay has great importance for the country in terms of the agroindustrial activities developed and its hydroelectric potential. The Uruguay River is 2,200 kilometers long and originates from the confluence of the Pelotas and Canoas rivers. In this section, the river takes the east-west direction, dividing the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. The watershed has, in Brazilian territory, 174,533km² of area, equivalent to 2% of the national territory.

Due to its hydrological characteristics and the main formative rivers, the area was divided into 13 hydrographic units, four of which are in the state of Santa Catarina and nine in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. About 3.9 million people live in part of the Uruguayan hydrographical region, with greater concentration in the hydrographic units of Chapecó, Canoas, Ibicuí and Turvo.

The region has a total of 384 municipalities, of which the most noteworthy are Lages and Chapecó, in Santa Catarina; Erechim, Ijuí, Uruguaiana, Santana do Livramento and Bagé, in Rio Grande do Sul.

The indicators of basic sanitation are also important for the characterization of the region. In relation to the portion of the population supplied with water, except for the Ijuí, Quaraí, Santa Maria and Negro hydrographic units, in all others, in 2010, they were below the national average (91%). The percentage of the population served with sewage in the region is 33%. The percentage of sewage treated in the hydrographic units was very low, with an average of 10%, lower than the Brazilian average (30%).

In relation to the vegetation, the basin originally had, in the sources of the Uruguay River, the Campos and the Mata with Araucária and, in the southwest direction, the Mata do Alto Uruguai, Mata Atlântica. Currently, the region is intensely deforested and only restricted areas conserve the original vegetation.