Santa River
The Santa River () is a river in the South American Andes mountain range in the Ancash Region of northwest central Peru. River Course Lake Conococha, at an altitude of 4,050 m above sea level and at , is considered the headwaters of the Santa River. Lake Conococha itself is fed by small streams from the Cordillera Negra in the west and the snowcapped Cordillera Blanca in the east. The main tributary of the lake is Tuco River which has its source at Lake Tuco () about 5,000 m above sea level at one of the glacier tongues of mount Tuco. The Santa River emerges from Lake Conococha and for 200 km runs in a northerly direction between the Cordillera Negra in the west and the Cordillera Blanca in the east, forming the fertile Callejón de Huaylas. At 2,000 m above sea level the river changes its course to a westerly direction, squeezing through the narrow gorge of Cañon del Pato ("duck's canyon") before it finally breaks through the coastal ridges. During the dry season from June to November, the Santa River provides only a little water for irrigation, drinking water and hydroelectric power. A couple of water reservoirs have