Inga Falls

Inga Falls is a series of falls and rapids along the Congo River that drops approximately 315 feet in a run of about 9 miles. Most of this change in elevation is via small rapids. The main part of the falls, however, occurs where the river makes a sharp, sweeping bend in its course and drops about 70 feet rather abruptly (though not quite vertically). Here the falls are over 2 1/2 miles wide, separated into hundreds of channels and rivulets by dozens and dozens of small islands and large rocks. The falls are currently incorporated into the Inga I and Inga II hydroelectric facilities. The volume of the river diverted is approximately 30% of the average discharge. The average volume of the Congo River near the falls is thought to be around 1.3 million cubic feet per second, so we are postulating that the volume of water actually flowing over the falls is around 910,000 cubic feet per second. Plans for the Grand Inga generating facility, which would upon completion be the largest hydroelectric facility on the planet, will draw off perhaps as much as 2/3 of the river, if not more.