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  • Toxic wastewater from copper mine spills into river in northern Mexico - World Socialist Web Site

    http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/08/20/mexi-a20.html

    Toxic wastewater from copper mine spills into river in northern Mexico
    By Matthew Brennan
    20 August 2014

    Over 10 million gallons of toxic wastewater leached from a copper mine near the town of Cananea in northern Mexico spilled into the nearby Bacanuchi River on August 6. Reports indicate that copper waste tailings containing sulfuric acid and heavy metals leaked for more than a day from a holding tank into the river after heavy storms hit the region.

    Residents downstream from the Buenavista del Cobre mine – one of the largest porphyry copper deposits in the world located 25 miles from the US border – began reporting on August 7 that the river had turned bright orange and contained a “rotten smell”. These reports came nearly 24 hours after the spill began. There was no adequate warning from either mine operators or state regulatory officials. On August 10, Mexico’s National Water Commission (NWC) cut off municipal water supplies to seven towns along the river, affecting a population of well over 20,000 people. Local farmers were told not to let their livestock drink the water three days after the spill.

    #eau #pollution #Mines #environnement #écologie #états-unis