August 16, 2006
Rio Itata, Chile
An independent water-testing program was begun on August 12, 2006, to monitor water quality over the next few years as Celco nears completion of its new pulp mill in Nueva Aldea. This first stage of the testing program will determine the health of the river before the mill begins operation, and will also determine if the construction of Celco's new mill has already had an impact on it. "The Government of Chile does not monitor any of its mills in the entire country," stated Josh Berry, Save the Waves Chile Program Director. "The industry is allowed to self-regulate, which is what has led to past environmental disasters like that in Valdivia." Distrust of Celco's methods has mounted over the past year, as cover-ups of accidents at the mill site were discovered when two mill-workers ended up hospitalized with radiation poisoning. "There's no doubt that to keep Celco at least half-way honest. we will have to take the matters into our own hands," added Berry.
The tests are being conducted by scientists at the Universidad Austral. "This is one of the first steps in the right direction for the environment in Chile," stated Save the Waves environmental director Will Henry. "We are hoping that the Government of Chile and its environmental arm, CONAMA, will take the hint that in the future they will need to do this job, and do it properly."
CONAMA has been accused in the past of being controlled by the industries it is supposed to be monitoring. In the case of the Nueva Aldea mill, CONAMA initially refused to approve Celco's environmental impact report (EIR). Mysteriously, CONAMA's board was subsequently replaced by an entirely new group of individuals, who unanimously approved the mill's EIR a few months later. The move brought accusations of government corruption from many sides.
The initiation of independently-funded water testing is seen as a step in the right direction for the future of Rio Itata, a pristine river valley in Chile's Region IX, which Celco's new mill now threatens to irreversibly pollute. "Chile is at a crossroads at the current time," states Henry. "With a new female President and the healthiest economy in South America, we hope that they choose the path of sustainability for Chile's future."
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