The Dulce River is the most important river in the Argentine

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 province

Provinces of Argentina

Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...

 of Santiago del Estero

Santiago del Estero Province

Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...

.

The Dulce River's source is in Tucumán Province

Tucumán Province

Tucumán is the most densely populated, and the smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the capital is San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neighboring provinces are, clockwise from the north: Salta, Santiago del Estero and...

 under the name of Salí River

Salí River

Salí River is the most important river in the Argentine province of Tucumán.The river is born from the precipitations capture by the Calchaquíes range next to Salta Province, and its water flow is increased by the numerous streams from the Sierra del Aconquija range, and other rivers.Most cities...

, though it receives tributaries from Salta Province

Salta Province

Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...

, and changes names when reaching Santiago del Estero. It runs 450 km southeast throughout the province, and then feeds the Río Hondo in Córdoba Province before emptying into the Mar Chiquita salt lake.

There is also a dam in the limit with Tucumán Province called Río Hondo dam, with a lake formatted with the connection of four rivers of Tucumán. This lake is experiencing pollution due to the lack of control of the emissions of polluting substances into the Salí River, caused mainly by the pulpmills located in Tucumán.

The river is the main source of water for irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 for the arid lands of Santiago del Estero. The Los Quiroga Dam

Los Quiroga Dam

The Los Quiroga Dam is a dam on the course of the Dulce River, in the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It is located near the provincial capital Santiago del Estero and the city of La Banda...

in the northwest, finished in 1956, provides water for that area, but has produced a decrease in the precipitations of the southeastern part of the province.