The Stream, April 24: Andes Mining Projects Could Threaten Water Supplies

Mining
Large gold mining projects proposed for the Colombian Andes pose threats to unique páramo ecosystems, and subsequently water supplies for the country’s capital and other cities, Yale Environment 360 reported. Mining directly in the páramo is banned in Colombia, but conservationists worry that mining nearby could cause cyanide contamination of water supplies.

Global mining company Rio Tinto has offered communities little commitment to rehabilitate the Ranger uranium mine in Australia’s Kakadu national park, saying that responsibility fell to its local subsidiary Energy Resources of Australia, the Guardian reported. Local residents are worried that ERA may not have enough money to clean up the site, and are concerned about the effects of a slurry spill last December that is currently being investigated for possible groundwater contamination.

West Virginia Chemical Spill
Approximately 227,000 liters (60,000 gallons) of contaminated water from West Virginia’s January chemical spill near Charleston is now destined for disposal in Ohio injection wells, Gizmodo reported. The injection wells are located in Vickery, Ohio, about 400 miles from Charleston.

Extreme Weather
Sri Lanka may be heading for a drought as upcoming monsoon rains may not be enough to break a period of dry weather, according to some experts, AlertNet reported. Forecasters at the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum have warned that, as El Nino conditions strengthen, monsoon rains in South Asia may be reduced.

Businesses around the world must address climate change now as a matter of survival, not just sustainability, argues Amy Larkin, former director of Greenpeace Solutions, in a column for the Guardian. She points to increasingly extreme weather as evidence of the economic costs of climate change, and says there is no longer time for small steps.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek