Monrovia – Liberia’s first commercial gold mining company, Bea Mountain Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of Aureus Mining has admitted dumping toxic effluents into the environment near its concession area in Grand Cape Mount County.
The company has been fined US$10,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for disrupting an on-going investigation into allegation that it discharged acute toxicity of effluents into the Mafa River in Grand Cape Mount County.
EPA Executive Director Anyaa Vohiri said Bea Mountain Mining Corporation disrupted the investigation by blocking effluent from its Tilling Storage Facility (TSF) to the ‘point of compliance’ without notifying the EPA.
But, Bea Mountain Mining Corporation’s Managing Director Debar Allen said prior to the fine imposed by the EPA the company instituted actions to avert further discharge of waste into the environment.
“Even before we did know what your recommendation would be, we have put in a total re-circulation system in place to ensure that everything that goes down into Tilling Storage Facility (TSF) also comes back into the plant to ensure zero discharge into the environment,” Allen said.
He explained that the company took proactive steps when it heard of the incident, noting “we immediately went into the affected community and said to them there must be a problem; we immediately constructed wells. Nobody had to tell us to do that, we just know that those are the proper things to do.”
He disclosed that the wells are intended to provide clean and safe drinking water for inhabitants of the affected community. Mr. Allen said the company discharged a technical team that collected water sample and dead fishes from the polluted Mafa River near Jikando Town in Grand Cape Mount County.
The Bea Mountain Mining Corporation Boss also disclosed that the company has also cleared farmland and provided seed to residents of the affected community.
“We are sending in a water car to help them water their farms. We are also doing this because we believe it is necessary and not because of the nature of our project,” he said. He accepted to pay the fine imposed by the EPA and said “we will comply because it is in keeping with the law.”
Awaiting Board’s approval
However, hours after Allen’s statement, Bea Mountain Mining Corporation Safety Health, Environmental and Quality Manager, Erickson Trocon Brown said the company would communicate EPA’s recommendation to its Board of Directors oversea.
Brown noted that the company’s board needs to approve the payment of the US$ 10,000 fine and said he was not sure whether the company would comply within the 42 hours ultimatum given by the EPA.
EPA Executive Director Vohiri demanded that the Bea Mountain Mining Corporation pays the amount of US$10,000 into government revenue through the Central Bank of Liberia within 42 hours.
“You are further directed to come along with copy of the notice of violation and the appropriate official flag receipt substantiating full compliance for the issuance of a clearance,” she told the company’s General Manager Allen during a visit at its operational site recently.
She said the investigation into the allegation, which included sites verifications, laboratory analyses of water samples and technical conference with the company’s management was in response to numerous complaints by residents of Jikando, Gola Konneh District.
She said EPA monitors received information from some citizens that fishes were found dead within 3.15 km of the company’s Tilling Storage Facility due to the use of chemicals in her gold mining processes.
According to her, this indicates that acute toxicity of effluents was illegally discharged into the Mafa River, which citizens said is a primary source of trade, livelihood and domestic uses.
The EPA Boss said the citizens also complained of loss of biodiversity along the diverted segment of the Mavoroe Creek as a result of overflow and the illegal discharge of highly toxic effluents.
Although, the EPA boss said investigation into the matter was continuing, the loss of biodiversity along the diverted segment of the Mavoroe Creek as a result of its stagnation due to inappropriate stream diversion and that the illegal discharge of effluent from the company Tilling Storage Facility into the environment without discharge permit from the EPA is a violation of several provision of the environmental law of Liberia.
Madam Vohiri said “in consistent with the standards and regulations of the agency and the permitting conditions of your permit, the EPA has determined that your entity did violate conditions 6.0 and 7.0 of the permit, part V Section 56(1) of the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia and Part III Section 21 (4) of the Act Creating the EPA.”
She threatened that the company’s operating permit may warrant a suspension based on the unveiling circumstances. During the visit, the EPA boss also visited Jekando, the affected community and assured citizens that the EPA, as a regulator would prevail on the company not to repeat what has happened.
She requested that a committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, EPA, Bea Mountain Mining Corporation and the affected community to monitor the situation so as to avoid future occurrence.