Relative to large-scale developments in Chile, smaller projects receive little to no national attention. Matias Beltran,[1] lead guide of Ko’kayak whitewater adventure tours, explains that this lack of attention is exacerbated by developers who attempt to limit project information to locals who are in closest proximity to the construction site. “The Río Blanco” for example, is “a little river, only the people near there knows there is a dam. We only know because we work in tourism, but no one else is aware, and that happens in all of Chile” (translated by author). This pattern is important to consider as many rivers’ are undefended not only due to environmental passivity, but also through lack of means to draw attention. Furthermore, in an attempt to supersede community backlash, hydro developers commonly offer unofficial payments to landowners most consequential to a project’s construction. This dynamic exacerbates the already notable attention deficit many smaller rivers face. Bittencourt explains that “people who live close to the river are being influenced with money from these companies, like ‘don’t fight against it, keep it quiet, and let us do our thing,’ like right next to the river.” When Bittencourt and other kayakers went to paddle Rio Bonito in 2014, they found a dam on Google Maps before leaving. The group then identified and called the landowner, who terminated the conservation when Bittencourt mentioned the dam. After seeing the site, Bittencourt explains that “more than 50% [of the water] went in pipes, and then they returned it to the river, but it’s really really ugly…I think we were the first people to discover this thing because all the kayak books and guides said there was a river there, but once we got there we realized it was really new, this dam.” Besides a small post written on riversofchile.org regarding this discovery and explaining there is only enough water to paddle after significant rain events, there is little information beyond local recounts (Josey 2014). Bittencourt, Beltran, and others explain that this is the pattern in Chile. Other rivers that are rumored to be or are already incorporated in hydro development plans are the Cuervo, Rocín, Cortaderal, Las Leñas, Blanco, Cautín, and Ñuble. While this list includes both small and large-scale projects, it is important to note that the real number of rivers facing development is far greater than what is made obvious.
[1] Matias Beltran is a leader of Ko’kayak Whitewater Adventure Tours, based in Puerto Varas.