Acelhuate River
| Acelhuate River | |
|---|---|
| Río Acelhuate (Spanish) | |
The Acelhuate River near its mouth as seen from the Carretera Troncal del Norte | |
| Location | El Salvador |
| Coordinates | 14°04′N 89°08′W / 14.067°N 89.133°W: A-1 |
| Type | River |
| Primary outflows | Lempa River |
| Catchment area | 414 sq mi (1,070 km2) |
| Max. length | 37 mi (60 km) |
| Settlements | San Salvador |
| Location | |
The Acelhuate River (Spanish: Río Acelhuate) is a river in El Salvador which originates in the San Salvador Department and flows north into the Lempa River and the Cerrón Grande Reservoir. The city of San Salvador was established along the river in the mid-1500s for its clear waters, but it has since become one of El Salvador's most polluted rivers due to improper waste disposal from San Salvador beginning in the mid-1900s. Despite the river's high levels of contamination by domestic and industrial waste, several animal species continue to inhabit the river and around 1.7 million people live in the river's drainage basin.