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Viewing cable 06LAPAZ2934, PILCOMAYO RIVER POLLUTION ATTRACTS NEW ATTENTION

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06LAPAZ2934 2006-10-27 18:42 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy La Paz
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLP #2934/01 3001842
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271842Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1124
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6230
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3550
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7412
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4672
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1923
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 1974
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1847
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 4123
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 4561
RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 1572
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 9135
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS LA PAZ 002934 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/AND LPETRONI 
BRASILIA FOR JSTORY AND LSTONER 
USAID/LAC FOR AFRANCO, MSILVERMAN, RLOUDIS, AND JBISSON 
USAID/EGAT FOR CJACKSON, ANE FOR JWILSON 
COMMERCE FOR JANGLIN 
TREASURY FOR SGOOCH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EMIN ECON BL
SUBJECT: PILCOMAYO RIVER POLLUTION ATTRACTS NEW ATTENTION 
 
REF: LA PAZ 2903 
 
1. (U) Summary: For centuries, mining and milling wastes from 
Bolivia's Potosi mining district have polluted the Pilcomayo 
River, an important body of water in Bolivia's southwest.  A 
recent study indicated that many agricultural fields and 
waterways are contaminated with heavy metals and arsenic, 
which may have long-term implications for local communities. 
Past proposals to address the river's pollution have 
generated few results, but a new initiative from the 
USAID-supported Center for the Promotion of Sustainable 
Technologies may change that.  End summary. 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
2. (U) Bolivia's Pilcomayo River rises in the foothills of 
the Andean cordillera, between the western departments of 
Oruro and Potosi, and flows southeast - crossing the Bolivian 
departments of Chuquisaca and Tarija, the Argentine province 
of Formosa, and the Gran Chaco plains of Paraguay - to join 
the Paraguay River near Asuncion.  Its watershed covers 
270,000 square kilometers and encompasses an estimated 1.5 
million people: one million in Bolivia, 300,000 in Argentina, 
and 200,000 in Paraguay. 
 
3. (U) The river drains the Potosi mining district, a region 
exploited since the mid-1500s for its rich silver and tin 
deposits.  Colonial mills using mercury-based processing 
techniques may have released several hundred tons of mercury 
into the Pilcomayo River and its tributaries every year; 
today, approximately 30 to 40 mills continue to release 
contaminated effluents and mine tailings directly into local 
waterways. 
 
STUDY PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF CONTAMINATION 
---------------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) A 1998-2002 study by researchers from five British and 
American universities indicated that many agricultural fields 
and waterways are contaminated with heavy metals (silver, 
cadmium, copper, lead, antimony, and zinc) and arsenic; 
concentrations of these elements in most crops and drinking 
water samples fall within guidelines, but heavy metal 
concentrations in irrigation waters occasionally exceed 
recommended values, which suggest that crops and soils have 
been exposed to elevated levels of toxic metals. 
 
5. (U) The pollution may have long-term implications for 
local communities, which rely on the Pilcomayo River for 
drinking and irrigation water.  Residents may be exposed to 
toxic metals through the ingestion of contaminated water; the 
consumption of livestock that drink polluted water; and the 
ingestion of contaminated soil particles, particularly those 
attached to and consumed with locally grown vegetables. 
 
A NEW PLAN TO ADDRESS POLLUTION 
------------------------------- 
 
6. (U) Past proposals to address the Pilcomayo River's 
pollution have generated few results, but a new initiative 
from the USAID-supported Center for the Promotion of 
Sustainable Technologies (known by its Spanish acronym, CPTS) 
may change that.  Known for its efforts to redesign 
companies' production processes to improve water and energy 
efficiency, cut production costs, and minimize environmental 
damage (reftel), CPTS has now turned its attention to the 
Potosi mining district.  Project Director Justo Zapata told 
Econoff October 18 that the organization hopes to re-process 
mine tailings to remove damaging components and recover 
additional minerals, including lead, zinc, and silver. 
Successful project implementation could prevent the daily 
release of thousands of tons of tailings into the region's 
waterways and generate significant revenues through the sale 
of recovered minerals.  With local and international support, 
Zapata said, the project could significantly reduce 
environmental degradation. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
7. (U) The CPTS proposal may be among the most potentially 
effective efforts to date to address the pollution of the 
Pilcomayo River and its tributaries.  If the project is 
successful, it could provide a model for mining districts 
across Bolivia, help prevent future contamination, and 
improve the lives of many thousands of people. 
GOLDBERG