Following on from my previous post I decided to back track...

Following on from my previous post I decided to back track through some more freely available satellite images (see below). To my surprise I found another instance in the change in the colour of the river system; but to gain an understanding of the water colour issue one has to understand proper care and maintenance of key infrastructure.

There are settling ponds which take mine waste water and are designed to reduce mined particulate matter release into the environment; these settling ponds are carefully designed for waste water flow speed in such a way that particulate matter will gradually settle to the bottom of the ponds; the ponds are connected so eventually most if not all particulate matter will settle in the ponds. The ponds are then cleaned out on a regular basis usually by a long arm excavator.

However in May 2013 (soon after the tailings dam 4 disaster) the satellite image below IMO shows possible high levels of silt in the settling ponds. The close up image of the settling pond outlet to the Dayano river IMO shows a change in the river water colour to a more turbid state.

In the 2009 Environmental Impact Statement for the mine on page 2-2 and interesting question is asked as follows

Question;
Can GRC prevent the recurrence of floods, sediments, and fish kills when it operates?

Answer (short version)​

The dirty water will be conveyed by drainage channels to the sediment traps, settling ponds, and then the geotextile tubes. The traps and pond will capture the coarse sediments; fine sediments will be trapped in the tubes.

Ref the 2009 EIS Greenstone Resources
http://contracts.ph-eiti.org/suppor...-2002-XIII, 2002/EIS_Greenstone Resources.pdf

Some more questions;
Was the Dayano river subjected to another innocent mistake?
Or was the Dayano river the end recipient of IM#1; the failure of tailings dam 4?
I wonder if RED is required to report high particulate concentration levels to authorities?
I wonder who was irrigating their rice paddies or fishing from the river downstream?
Hmmm makes you wonder what the consequences to the environment could be.


Disclaimer; satellite imagery may show colours that do not represent actual topography; please DYOR. My opinions only based on my visual interpretation of satellite imagery; my comments in no way specify that particulate matter above government guidelines was released to the Dayano river on the date of the satellite images were taken.

Ref http://www.flashearth.com/

Ref http://www.flashearth.com/