Lac Mari Menuco, Artificial reservoir located in the province of Neuquén
Lago Mari Menuco is an artificial reservoir in Neuquén Province, formed together with Los Barreales by the Cerros Coloradas hydroelectric complex. Its surface lies at 414 m, it covers 173.9 km², reaches 140 m deep and holds 13.8 billion m³. In the photograph the lake appears as two connected sections, a bright blue upper part and a nearly black lower part joined by a narrow channel, with jagged inlets along the lighter shore.
Lago Mari Menuco was formed together with Los Barreales by the Cerros Colorados hydroelectric complex, which diverted most of the Neuquén River's flow south of its original bed via the Portezuelo Grande dam. The Planicie Banderita power station, connected to the lake, produces 1.5 billion kWh per year. In the early 21st century, million-dollar real-estate investments consolidated old private clubs and built new developments along its shores.
The name Mari Menuco comes from Mapuche and means "ten swamps". Since the early 21st century the shores have been consolidated as a summer resort through large real-estate investments, both in old private clubs and in new developments.
The lake lies at 414 m altitude in northern Patagonia, about 38°40' S, 68°40' W, and its level can vary by about a metre. It is fed by Los Barreales through the Loma de la Lata dam, and the Neuquén river leaves it at roughly 360 m³ per second. Its shores were consolidated as a summer resort area in the early 21st century through real-estate investment.
The lake's Mapuche name means "ten swamps". Its level varies by about one metre, and water stays in it for roughly 1.2 years before flowing out through the Neuquén River at about 360 cubic metres per second. The Planicie Banderita plant linked to the lake produces 1,500 million kWh a year.
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