Canadian miner Lundin plans to fill in the huge crater that opened up on land it owns in Chile at the end of July and pump out the water that has seeped into space in the interim, a senior executive told Reuters news agency on Thursday.
The 36.5 meter diameter and 64 meter deep crater appeared in the small commune of Tierra Amarilla, about 665 kilometers from the Chilean capital, Santiago, worrying locals and attracting the attention of the international community.
Chile’s environmental regulatory agency formalized, in early October, four accusations against the mining company. The most serious infractions were related to excessive extraction and construction outside environmentally approved zones by the State.
Part of the concern was that this was an aquifer area. The fear was that the mining activity could cause water to enter the mines, also damaging the fresh water reservoir.
According to Luis Sanchez, president of a local unit of Lundin, told Reuters, the studies to determine the causes for the formation of the crater are already in the final stages, and a technical body of specialists is already receiving the information to be able to formulate conclusions.
The mining company’s objective is to cover the crater with materials such as sand and stones with the same characteristics as a riverbed. Sanchez declined to disclose the amount of material and the total cost of the plan, but said the company has already spent about US$ 10 million (R$ 54 million) so far to solve the problem.
He also stated that, thanks to the sealing work that is already being carried out, it was possible to reduce the volume of water that leaks in the mine from 330 liters per second to 10 to 30 liters per second.
“We are seeing a positive evolution in the recovery of aquifer levels, and this shows that we can think positively about this solution and say that we are not facing irreparable damage, as some authorities have claimed,” he said.
Responsible for more than 26% of the global supply of copper, Chile is the main world producer of the metal. Participation in the global market, however, has already been greater — in 2010, it was 34%, according to the Conselho Mineiro, an association that brings together companies in the sector. Peru, China and the Democratic Republic of Congo are also major producers.
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