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Spanish Waste Water Spill
One of the greatest environmental disasters in Spanish history occurred on April 25, 1998. A Canadian owned mine's residual tank, responsible for channeling waste, suffered a rupture that subsequently leaked into the Guadiamar River. The rupture, which was a gaping 50 yards wide, resulted in seven million cubic yards of waste water rushing into the fresh water source. The waste was heavily concentrated in heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, zinc and copper. Under any circumstances, this spill would be a catastrophe, but it was especially so in the case of the Guadiamar River, because of the important role that the river played in various aspects of the environment.
The environmental contamination of the river effected local residents in a variety of ways. The contamination of the water soiled drinking water for local villages along the river. This problem was minuscule when compared to the fact that the contaminated water also made millions of dollars worth of crops impossible to sell or distribute. As many as two thousand, poor rural farmers and up to 9 million acres of land were riddled with toxic mud and rice paddies, cotton fields, olive orchards and cattle pastures were all affected.
Though the human population felt the effects of the wastewater spill, the animals of the area
were more drastically affected. The metallic presence in the river killed thousands of fish, crabs, frogs and eels that could not survive in the toxic river. To make matters even worse, the presence of dead, toxic creatures also threatened the bird population. Hundreds of volunteers had to work tirelessly to attempt and dispose of the dead river animals, so that birds wouldn't attempt to ingest them and subsequently become poisoned themselves. It is through this issue that a chain of toxicity would build up in the Donana National Park, which would have many long standing detrimental effects. The Guadiamar River fed into the Donana National park, which is one of Europe's largest nature preserves. This well-known nature preserve is host to thousands of unique species of migrating birds. It is in this sense that the environmental consequences of this wastewater spill were most apparent. The Donana National Park, being home to so many rare species of birds, had been entrusted with the task of protecting and preserving the livelihood of these birds. If these birds were exposed to too many toxic chemicals, and as a result high numbers of these birds were to die, it would not only effect the local population of Spain, but the entire world. Many of these birds only stop at the Donana, while conducting migrations to different parts of the globe. If the spill was not treated properly, it could have affected the migrating birds for a substantial amount of time. In the end, it took an entire month to return the river to its original state.
The Spanish wastewater spill was such an important issue that many prominent environmental groups became involved. Green Peace took a great deal of interest in it. Greenpeace believed that the actions of the mining company were an environmental crime. Subsequently, they pushed for the Spanish Attorney General to try and investigate the cause of the spill and hopefully hold one party responsible. The Environmental Association for the Defense of Nature also commented on the event, calling it "a catastrophe of the highest order." Though the effects were not as bad they possibly could have been, the spill was still one of the more noteworthy environmental disasters in recent years. Luckily through the determination of both park workers and volunteers, the environment was able to recover as quickly as possible.
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