The Impressive Brazilian Artificial Canal That Connects Two Giant Power Plants, Regulates Levels Like Huge Water Tanks, and Became the Second Largest in the World at 9,600 Meters in Length

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 28/11/2025 at 12:42

Canal artificial Deoclécio Bispo dos Santos liga dois reservatórios paulistas, reforça a navegação e atrai visitantes que percorrem seus 9,6 mil metros

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Structure Built in the 1980s Connects the Reservoirs of Três Irmãos and Ilha Solteira, Enhances Regional Navigation, and Solidifies as the Second Largest Artificial Freshwater Canal in the World

The artificial canal Deoclécio Bispo dos Santos is considered one of the most relevant water structures in the region, as it interconnects the reservoirs of Três Irmãos and Ilha Solteira in São Paulo. Built in the 1980s, the canal was designed to ensure integration between the Paraná River and the Tietê River systems and to ensure the joint operation of the power plants.

Reasons for the Project

Jefferson Nascimento de Oliveira, a professor and specialist in Water Resources at the São Paulo State University, explains that the construction occurred due to the absence of a lock at the Ilha Solteira reservoir. The lack of this equipment required a solution that would allow navigation between the two rivers while maintaining the regulation of the reservoir levels. He compares the operation of the structure to the connection between large water tanks that need to operate in coordination.

Structure and Characteristics

The canal is 9.6 kilometers long, 50 meters wide, and 12 meters deep at its maximum elevation. At the minimum elevation, the depth reaches 8 meters. These dimensions place Deoclécio Bispo dos Santos as the second largest artificial freshwater canal in the world, reinforcing its importance for both transportation and the balance of the regional water system.

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Navigation and Tourism

The stretch attracts barges transporting goods between the reservoirs and also receives visitors interested in traveling the route. Boats and speedboats navigate the canal alongside the vegetation that lines the entire length of the project. The practice of sport fishing is among the activities sought by those using the location for leisure.

Navigation continues along the São José dos Dourados River, which is responsible for connecting the two reservoirs and enhancing the canal’s functionality within the regional operation.

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Eds

#203307

04/12/2025 01:04

Pereira Barreto é o nome da cidade, não sei pq não falou

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Henrique Mello

#202307

02/12/2025 08:04

O Senhor nunca viu falar do Sistema de Abastecimento de Águas de Fortaleza, Pacoti, Riachão e Gavião???

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The Impressive Brazilian Artificial Canal That Connects Two Giant Power Plants, Regulates Levels Like Huge Water Tanks, and Became the Second Largest in the World at 9,600 Meters in Length

Structure Built in the 1980s Connects the Reservoirs of Três Irmãos and Ilha Solteira, Enhances Regional Navigation, and Solidifies as the Second Largest Artificial Freshwater Canal in the World

Reasons for the Project

Structure and Characteristics

Navigation and Tourism

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The Impressive Brazilian Artificial Canal That Connects Two Giant Power Plants, Regulates Levels Like Huge Water Tanks, and Became the Second Largest in the World at 9,600 Meters in Length

Structure Built in the 1980s Connects the Reservoirs of Três Irmãos and Ilha Solteira, Enhances Regional Navigation, and Solidifies as the Second Largest Artificial Freshwater Canal in the World

Reasons for the Project

Structure and Characteristics

Navigation and Tourism

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Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

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