Paulo Afonso Falls

Paulo Afonso Falls
Paulo Afonso Falls during a water release from the Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex
Location	Alagoas and Bahia Brazil
Coordinates	9°23′21″S 38°11′45″W
Type	Tiered
Total height	84 metres (276 ft)
Number of drops	3
Longest drop	59 metres (194 ft)
Average width	18 metres (59 ft)
Watercourse	São Francisco River
Average flow rate	2,832 m3/s (100,000 cu ft/s) (historical)

Paulo Afonso Falls (Portuguese: Cachoeira de Paulo Afonso) is a series of waterfalls on the São Francisco River in the north-east of Brazil adjacent to the city of Paulo Afonso. They stand up to 275 feet (84 m) high. The falls consist of a steep rapid that descends approximately 80 feet (24 m) and then drops a main plunge of 260 feet (79 m) into a narrow gorge.

Damming

Upstream of the falls, a hydroelectric dam, the Hidrelétrica de Angiquinho (the first hydroelectric plant in northeastern Brazil) blocks the flow of the river. Prior to the damming of the river in 1948, the average water flow over the falls was over 2,832 m³/s (100,000 cu ft/s), and floods exceeded 14,158 m³/s (500,000 cu ft/s).

The Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex that grew from the original plant was known as Complexo Hidrelétrico de Paulo Afonso in Portuguese, or locally simply as Paulo Afonso. This, and later plants, such as the Hidrelétrica de Xingó downstream, near the town of Piranhas, Alagoas, provide much of the region with electric power.

Gallery

• 
  Painting of Paulo Afonso Falls by E. F. Schute, 1850
• 
  Paulo Afonso Falls, 1875
• 
  Paulo Afonso Falls, 2018

See also

• List of waterfalls by flow rate