The Rímac River [ˈri.mak] is located in western Peru and is the most important source of potable water for the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area. It belongs to the Pacific Slope, into which it flows after bathing the cities of Lima and Callao, together with the Chillón River, to the north, and the Lurín River, to the south. It is 204 km long and has a basin of 3,312 km², of which 2,237.2 km² is a humid basin. The basin has a total of 191 lagoons, of which only 89 have been studied. The river begins in the highlands of the Huarochirí Province in the Lima Region and its mouth is located in Callao, near Jorge Chávez International Airport.^[1]

Quick Facts Etymology, Native name ...

Rímac
Location of mouth
Etymology	Quechua
Native name	Rimaq (Quechua)
Location
Country	Peru
Region	Department of Lima
Physical characteristics
Source	Nevado Paca
• location	Huarochirí Province, Peru
• elevation	5,100 m (16,700 ft)
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• location	Peru
• coordinates	11.94730°S 76.70792°W / -11.94730; -76.70792
Length	204 km (127 mi)
Basin size	3,400 km2 (1,300 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	25.8 m3/s (910 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Yuraqmayu

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The Rímac Valley (Spanish: Valle del Rímac) runs alongside the river, and is one of three valleys in the city of Lima. The city of Lima is located on the delta-shaped valley, as are various towns such as Matucana, Ricardo Palma, Chosica, Chaclacayo and Vitarte, small cities that function as strategic points between the coast and central mountains of Peru.^[2] It has a total surface of 3,700 km².^[2]

The name Rímac is from the Quechua word rimaq, meaning "speaker, speaking",^[3] leading to it being nicknamed El Río Hablador ("the talking river"). This name originates from the fact that a culture called Pachacámac existed in the Lima area. They built some galleries on the edge of the river with a space where a priest could enter without being seen. The inhabitants approached the river that was considered an apu (deity) and consulted it about their inquiries, all in front of said gallery built for it. The priest responded from within, to make believe that it was the river itself that was speaking. This is the origin of why the Rímac River is called Río Hablador.^[4]

In addition, according to a legend, its origin is based on the sacrifice of Rímac, the son of the god Inti, and his sister Chaclla, to free men from a drought. And that if you find yourself on the river bank, you will hear his voice telling stories, hence the name.^[5]

The Spanish misunderstood Lima instead of Rímac, which led to the city receiving the former name, as a derivation of it because its pronunciation had been deformed. However, the term Limaq, without being appropriate in highland Quechua, seems to have been the original in the coastal varieties of Quechua and also in the Mochica language, which preceded Quechua in that area.^[4]

The Rímac River begins its journey on the western slope of the Andes mountain range at an altitude of approximately 5,508 mamsl in the Nevado Paca, touring the provinces of Lima and Huarochirí, both located in the department of Lima. Among the most important tributaries of the Rímac are the Santa Eulalia River, the San Mateo or Alto Rímac River and the Blanco River.

Parallel to the Rímac River runs the Central Highway and a railway line, which starting from the port of Callao, reaches the city of La Oroya in the department of Junín, to later divide into two (one to the south and the other to the north), but not before going through the Abra de Anticona, better known as Ticlio, located at 4840 mamsl. In its basin we can also find the water treatment plant for Lima, called La Atarjea, managed by the Lima Drinking Water and Sewerage Service Public Company (SEDAPAL), in addition to the hydroelectric power plants of Huampaní Hydroelectric Power Plant, Matucana (also known as Pablo Boner Hydroelectric Power Plant), Huinco Hydroelectric Power Plant, Barbablanca Hydroelectric Power Plant, and Juan Carossio (also known as Moyopampa Hydroelectric Power Plant), all operated by Enel Perú (formerly EDEGEL).

At the height of the city of Lima, the Rímac is crossed by several bridges, the best known of which is the tercentenary Puente de Piedra (wrongly called "Puente Trujillo" today, which is the one next to it), built in the time of viceroy Juan de Mendoza y Luna, Marquis of Montesclaros in 1610, when Peru was part of the Spanish Empire.

On its margins, in the part of the mountains, several tourist restaurants, vacation and recreation centers can be found, as well as a series of clubs, which serve as escape points for the people of Lima in the cold and humid winters. Likewise, several picturesque towns can be found, such as Chosica, Matucana (capital of Huarochirí), San Bartolomé, San Mateo de Huanchor, Ricardo Palma and San Jerónimo de Surco.

A total of 27 mining operations are located in the Rímac river basin, of which seven continue to operate and the other 20 are closed or abandoned. The districts of Chicla, San Mateo, Matucana, Surco, Huanza and Carampoma in Huarochirí are the ones with the highest concentration of work. The most prominent mining centers in the area are Casapalca, Tamboraque, Millontingo, Pacococha, Colqui, Venturosa, Caridad, Lichicocha and Cocachacra.

The "maximum discharge in 24 hours", which occurred in the Rímac river and registered at the Chosica station, amounts to 385 m³/s (in 1941) and was only repeated on another occasion with 380 m³/s (in 1955) (since there was a record of less than 120 years, the risks of extrapolating are high). However, according to some investigations, an exceptional discharge occurred on March 29, 1925, estimated at 600 m³/s.^[6]

The decrease in the flow of the Rímac during the dry season, in addition to the constant growth of Lima, prevented a good supply of drinking water in the city. For this reason, in 1962 the Peruvian government carried out the water transfer project from the Marcapomacocha lagoon, which belongs to the Mantaro river basin, through a 10-kilometre siphon-shaped tunnel at 4,000 mamsl that crosses several glaciers.

In 1998, the Reserved Zone of the Rímac River Valley was created, which is located between the districts of Lima, Chaclacayo, San Juan de Lurigancho and Ate of the Province of Lima, and tries to take care of the cleanliness and landscape environment of area. Its extension is the one that covers a strip of 28 km. Currently, work is being done on its margins, in different areas, in order to recover its beauty, which has been greatly diminished in recent decades since it is used as a garbage dump by the inhabitants of its margins, in addition to being the draining place of sewage systems.

This area is home to species of fauna such as the falco sparverius, which uses the waterfalls of the ravines as resting and stalking places. On the banks of rivers with low vegetation, birds such as the gargantuan duck (Anas bahamensis), herons such as the Egretta thula, the Eudocimus albus, the Bubulcus ibis and the Nycticorax nycticorax have been found.

The river and its surroundings have been the target of several projects, be they to improve the quality of the river or to build structures, such as esplanades surrounding it.

• List of rivers of Peru
• List of rivers of the Americas by coastline