The river's name derives from the Mapuche word for the flower Libertia chilensis.[2]
The Calle-Calle is among the few rivers in Chile that are considered navigable. The Calle-Calle and Santa Elvira bridges crosses the river in the city of Valdivia.
The city of Valdivia obtains most of its water supply from Calle-Calle River near Cuesta Soto. Decreasing precipitation has caused the river to be contaminated with saline water from the coast.[3] The effects of saline water entering the water supply of Valdivia were particularly noticeable in 2015 when there was a surge in complains about the taste of the water.[3][4] The saltwater in the rivers near Valdivia during autumn is expected to increase in the future.[4] Estimations indicate that whenever the sum of the water discharge of Cruces and Calle-Calle rivers falls below 74 m3/s (2,600 cu ft/s) saltwater reaches the supply site at Cuesta Soto.[4]
Diagram showing rivers and lakes of the Valdivia River basin.
^"Historia". Museo de Sitio Castillo de Niebla (in Spanish). Servicio Nacional del Patrimonio Cultural. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
