The Stream, August 22: Mexico Contends With Two Contaminated River Spills

Mexico
Two weeks after approximately 37,800 cubic meters of sulfuric acid spilled into Mexico’s Bacanuchi River from a copper mine, 88 schools have delayed the start of the academic year because of contaminated water, United Press International reported. The country’s National Water Commission said that toxicity levels in the water are declining, and could be cleared up by next week.

Meanwhile, an oil spill in Mexico’s Rio San Juan has spread across six kilometers of the river and will take months to clean up, Reuters reported, citing the National Water Commission. According to the company, the oil spilled after a pipeline was tapped illegally.

United States
The western United States has lost 240 billion metric tons of water from lakes, rivers, snowpack and groundwater, according to a new study published in the journal Science, National Geographic reported. The study measured the loss by using GPS devices that were originally designed to track earthquakes.

Africa
Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam will resume Monday after being suspended for eight months, the Egypt Independent reported. Egypt has long expressed its discontent with the dam, which it fears will cut its water supply from the Nile River.

South Africa’s Minister of Water and Sanitation has promised that water service will be available in Limpopo’s Mopani district by the end of September, All Africa reported. Water shortages, poor water quality, and a lack of access to water services in Mopani—in contrast to more affluent areas—have raised concerns about inequality.

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