At least 360 people experienced health issues from the incident. Schools had to
close and 322 wells had to shut down (Estevez 2017). Farmers in the affected
communities cannot sell their goods because of buyers’ fears of contamination.
The disaster affected ca. 24,000 people directly and 250,000 people indirectly in
seven communities on the shores of the Sonora River, 25 miles southward of the
Arizona frontier (Guevara 2014; Wilton 2014). According to PROFEPA, the environmental damage from the accident may exceed $134 M (Wilton 2014).
2.3.1.3 Causes of the Disaster
While Grupo México was unavailable for comment when approached by the Daily
Star about the accident, an interview with Arturo Rodríguez Abitia, the deputy
director for industrial inspection at PROFEPA revealed the following (Trevizo and
López 2014):
• Grupo México was using unfinished installations without the necessary operating
permits under violation of several federal laws.
• The failure of a seal on a polyethylene pipe in one of the leachate ponds at the
Buenavista del Cobre mine caused the spill.
• Grupo México had failed to install a valve which could have stopped the spill.
• There were not any overflow ponds or impermeable linings confining this sort of
spill as the project was still under construction.
• The company informed the authorities with a delay of 28 h under violation of the
law which requires an immediate notification.
So, apparently human error, negligence, and violation of laws were responsible
for the incident (Trevizo and López 2014).
2.3.1.4 Economic and Legal Consequences
The new installations at the mine have been closed until the mine will have overflow
ponds and geomembranes. Any further activities have been suspended as ordered by
PROFEPA (Trevizo and López 2014). The company did a cleanup along the banks
of the nearly 270 km Bacanuchi and Sonora rivers, cleaning up the products
resulting from the neutralization efforts with lime (Trevizo and López 2014).
Grupo México has been obliged to present a remediation plan subject to approval
by Mexico’s Department of the Environment and Natural Resources by the end of
October 2014 (Trevizo and López 2014).
After Mexico’s federal environmental authorities had found 55 irregularities in
Buenavista del Cobre’s activities, Grupo México received a fine of 23 M pesos
(ca. $1.8 M) and pledged itself to donate to a trust fund of 2 billion pesos
(ca. $154 M) for remedy, repair, and indemnification for health effects in the
communities afflicted by the spillage as well as for environmental and economic
damages (Estevez 2017). Although the trust is judicial by nature, it consists of a
22
O. Schwarz-Herion and A. Omran
close and 322 wells had to shut down (Estevez 2017). Farmers in the affected
communities cannot sell their goods because of buyers’ fears of contamination.
The disaster affected ca. 24,000 people directly and 250,000 people indirectly in
seven communities on the shores of the Sonora River, 25 miles southward of the
Arizona frontier (Guevara 2014; Wilton 2014). According to PROFEPA, the environmental damage from the accident may exceed $134 M (Wilton 2014).
2.3.1.3 Causes of the Disaster
While Grupo México was unavailable for comment when approached by the Daily
Star about the accident, an interview with Arturo Rodríguez Abitia, the deputy
director for industrial inspection at PROFEPA revealed the following (Trevizo and
López 2014):
• Grupo México was using unfinished installations without the necessary operating
permits under violation of several federal laws.
• The failure of a seal on a polyethylene pipe in one of the leachate ponds at the
Buenavista del Cobre mine caused the spill.
• Grupo México had failed to install a valve which could have stopped the spill.
• There were not any overflow ponds or impermeable linings confining this sort of
spill as the project was still under construction.
• The company informed the authorities with a delay of 28 h under violation of the
law which requires an immediate notification.
So, apparently human error, negligence, and violation of laws were responsible
for the incident (Trevizo and López 2014).
2.3.1.4 Economic and Legal Consequences
The new installations at the mine have been closed until the mine will have overflow
ponds and geomembranes. Any further activities have been suspended as ordered by
PROFEPA (Trevizo and López 2014). The company did a cleanup along the banks
of the nearly 270 km Bacanuchi and Sonora rivers, cleaning up the products
resulting from the neutralization efforts with lime (Trevizo and López 2014).
Grupo México has been obliged to present a remediation plan subject to approval
by Mexico’s Department of the Environment and Natural Resources by the end of
October 2014 (Trevizo and López 2014).
After Mexico’s federal environmental authorities had found 55 irregularities in
Buenavista del Cobre’s activities, Grupo México received a fine of 23 M pesos
(ca. $1.8 M) and pledged itself to donate to a trust fund of 2 billion pesos
(ca. $154 M) for remedy, repair, and indemnification for health effects in the
communities afflicted by the spillage as well as for environmental and economic
damages (Estevez 2017). Although the trust is judicial by nature, it consists of a
22
O. Schwarz-Herion and A. Omran