Hydraulic and auto-depurative characteristics of the Gualaxo do Norte River after the Fundão dam rupture.

The hydraulic characteristics of the Gualaxo do Norte River (RGN), a tributary of the upper Rio Doce basin, were affected in November 2015 by the rupture of the iron ore tailings dam at Fundão, in Bento Rodrigues, Mariana, Minas Gerais. We analyzed two sections of the RGN, located upstream and downstream of the Fundão dam. Measurements were taken at 11 stations along the main river in distinct seasonal periods, including river depth, river width, velocity, and flow.