A complaint for “lack of service” was filed with the Comptroller General of the Republic against the Superintendence of the Environment (SMA), because they accuse that it allowed, for more than seven years, the Anglo American Sur mining company “to disregard its obligation to return water to the Blanco River basin (Los Andes), affecting its hydrological regime”.
The action was presented by the deputy and president of the Chamber’s Water Resources Commission, Nelson Venegas (PS), and the president of the First Section of the Aconcagua River, Javier Crasemann.
The complaint filed points to the Superintendence of the Environment for allegedly “not evaluating environmentally or implementing the permanent solution to acid drainage that the Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) No. 29, of 2004, obliges it to carry out.” According to the complainants, this has caused damage to all those people who take advantage of the waters of the Aconcagua River and to the environment itself.
The deputy indicated at the exit that “we request this Comptroller’s Office to investigate the facts set forth above and determine the responsibilities that may arise from it due to the actions or omissions that are the subject of this complaint.”
“Furthermore, we ask that you demand that the denounced organizations urgently provide a solution to the situation described, considering the special situation of water scarcity in the Aconcagua basin,” he added.
For his part, the head of the Surveillance Board of the First Section of the Aconcagua River, Javier Crasemann, stated that “for Anglo American Sur, delaying the environmental assessment and subsequent construction of the permanent solution is entirely convenient, since it allows it to obtain , virtually free, water resources to keep their operations operational, without the need to obtain water use rights or implement a measure to restore flows to the Blanco River”.
The version of the SMA and Anglo American
Through a statement, the SMA reported that in relation to the “Los Bronces” project of the AngloAmerican mining company, a permanent inspection is carried out.
“The SMA has instructed sanction procedures regarding this project, with fines of more than $4,000 million, among the highest of the Superintendency. Regarding the Donoso Sterile Deposit, it is closed until there is a definitive solution linked to acid drainage. Today there is a transitory solution that we are permanently monitoring, with our Water Resources and Biodiversity section of the Inspection Division. However, we know that the definitive solution that the company must implement has taken time, and that generates concern, and as an institution we are going to ask the company for all the information so that the definitive solution is implemented in the shortest possible time”, indicated the Superintendent (S), Emanuel Ibarra.
Meanwhile, Anglo American says that “according to the complainants, in 2004, Anglo American Sur obtained the favorable Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) for the “Depósito de Estériles Donoso” project, where some measures were established in the event of a possible drainage of acids downstream of this deposit”.
“As part of its efforts to progressively reduce the extraction of fresh water, Anglo American is implementing a water management strategy that considers, among other measures, the use of industrial water not suitable for human consumption for its mining processes. This is of water that is discarded from other industrial processes and that does not compete with the use for people.This water is transported in cistern trucks to the sector of Las Tórtolas, in the district of Colina, where it is integrated into the process of reuse and recycling of water from the Los Bronces mine, reaching 89% in 2021,” he added.
“The use of industrial water in the Los Bronces mining process is known to the pertinent authorities and the company is entirely willing to provide any additional information that the authorities deem necessary,” he concluded.
