A leak in a tank of the Metallurgical copper mine, owned by Grupo Mexico, at the Maritime Terminal of Guaymas, Sonora, caused a spill of 3 thousand liters of sulfuric acid into the waters of the Sea of Cortez.
This leak comes five years after a spill of 40 thousand cubic meters of sulfuric acid on the Sonora River, derived from a leak in the facilities of the Buenavista del Cobre mine, also owned by Grupo México.
Through a statement, Grupo Mexico reported that the accident occurred around 3:00 pm on Wednesday, when a valve failure in a tank that receives purges from the shipping lines of the Maritime Terminal of Guaymas, presented a failure that resulted in the release of acid.
“Fortunately, it did not cause any harm to any person, immediate attention measures were applied and the situation was quickly controlled,” said the statement signed by Carlos Lozada Almada.
The company said that they are already working to neutralize the solution and that they have maintained communication with the environmental authorities to implement the necessary measures to fully attend.
A video captured by Twitter user @ 1Agustn shows how sulfuric acid came directly to the Sea of Cortez.
Me dicen que este “vapor” en el puerto de Guaymas @APIGUAYMAS es en realidad una fuga de ácido sulfúrico en un ducto de la terminal especializada de Mexicana de Cobre. A ver qué oficializa la operadora portuaria de la @SCT_mx pic.twitter.com/Mo0trlabKH
— Agustín Rodríguez L. (@1Agustn) July 9, 2019
Also, two months ago, 20 thousand liters of water with sediment from a mine owned by Grupo México in a river of San Martín, Zacatecas.
Through a statement dated May 11, Industrial Minera México reported that the waste is not considered hazardous, but that it traveled 200 meters over a stream outside its property.
Through the document, Grupo México said it had a ” commitment to continue strengthening the security and environmental control measures ” in its operations.
In a statement, Profepa indicated that an inspection process has begun, but did not refer to any preventive closure at the site, despite the fact that it is the area where species at risk of extinction, such as the vaquita marina, reside.
