1. El Quijos 
During my visit to Ecuador, I discovered the mighty Quijos! A wicked playground of whitewater that is free flowing for over 80kms all with III-IV rapids. It is like an artery of life that flows off the north eastern slopes of the Volcan Antisana through the Quijos valley. This is a rare and beautiful thing that is lifeblood of the valley, but is threatened by development for hydro and domestic water use.
The plan is for the Ecuadorian govt to dam the upper reaches of the Quijos to send drinking water over the Andes to Quito. Unfortunately this area is largely undeveloped wilderness with just a few indigenous families living there with only pack horses to bring in supplies. I met one young man who was concerned with the future of his traditional way of life and said that many government researchers were coming in to do feasibility studies. Unfortunately I missed out on an opportunity to visit this area that few gringos have ever seen. The Upper Quijos is a multi-day IV-V expedition that requires a long bush wack or finding my friend with his horses again!
This is not the only threat to the Quijos. All the way from Quito, almost every Bridge is being rebuilt to accommodate the massive machinery needed to create the largest river diversion in the world. A 64km long tunnel that could effectively dewater the famous San Rapheal falls (over 450ft tall) on the lower Quijos in the dry season.
San Rapheal falls
This massive project would open up yet more pristine rain forest for farming and industry by accessing a road less wilderness on the south side of the river.
There are also threats to the health of the river as the oil industry maintains a pipeline that winds along the valley and crosses the river in many places. We saw stark evidence of what can happen without any form of environmental regulations or standards in a developing country.
On one section of the Quijos giant bulldozers rearranged the river daily so they could simply drive through the river rather than up and around it.
The reality of the matter is these companies are generating huge income for Ecuador and the spin off off of the oil industry employs many thousands of people. And electricity is in such sort supply that frequent blackouts only serve to tip public opinion in favor of them.
2. El Jondachi
28 km put in 
The plight of the Jondachi is a little better known largely due to the efforts of the local paddling community and in thanks to it's reputation as one of the worlds best classIV-V rivers. Ask any kayaker who has had the opportunity to experience the Jondachi and I'll bet it ranks up on their top 5 rivers. Steep boulder gardens, phat boofs and challenging rapids all come together in a committing deep gorge with easy put in and take outs.
It is one of the most beautiful, wild and pristine rivers of the Ecuadorian Amazon and is part of a unique watershed with stunning biodiversity. It flows through the UNESCO Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, an area that is home to 15 Kichwa communities that rely on the river for fishing and bathing, and more recently, eco-tourism from rafters and kayakers.
The Merced de Jondachi Hydroelectric Project is being developed by Termopichincha S.A., an Ecuadorian company with no previous experience in hydro power projects. Many opponents feel that this company has hugely over-estimated the flows and therefore the feasibility of this project. The proposal calls for a diversion that would dewater the classic km 28 to km 18 Upper Jondachi and does not consider environmental flows that sustain the ecosystem functionality and historical uses of the river.
Another proposed hydro project already exists on the river but has not yet started construction. The company is Energia Renovable y Desarrolo Sustenable (ERDESU) and their proposal does consider recreational flows, and would provide funding for conservation, due to input from the Ecuadorian Rivers Institute (ERI). Their intake would be above the 28 km marker and is considered to be the "lesser of two evils".
There is an excellent review of these two projects on the Jondachi by Matt Perry from ERI check it out!
And if you are interested in adding your voice to the cause, google "Save the Jondachi" and help out. Better yet call Chris and Andrea at Endless Adventure International and get down there and paddle it..... cause then you'll want to save it yourself.
Randy
Great work Randy!! The damn proposal for the Jondaci has seen recent stumbling due to the financiers backing out after the project has seen much protest!
ReplyDeleteKeep it real Randy, miss you out here!
Chris