Environmental Investigation Mission on the Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure TECHNICAL REPORT AGHAM – Advocates of Science and Technology for the People Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE) in cooperation with Cordillera Peoples Alliance | Amianan Salakniban KATRIBU Indigenous Peoples Partylist | RDC Kaduami | Bantay Amianan 2013
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Environmental Investigation Mission on the Impacts … Investigation Mission on the Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure TECHNICAL REPORT AGHAM
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Environmental Investigation Mission
on the Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation
(PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure
TECHNICAL REPORT
AGHAM – Advocates of Science and Technology for the People
Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC)
Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE)
KALIKASAN-People's Network for the Environment is a network of people's organizations (POs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and environmental advocates. It aims to address environmental issues but in such a way that primacy is given to the people—especially in the grassroots level—who constitute the overwhelming majority of the population. Web: http://www.kalikasan.net/
The Center for Environmental Concerns–Philippines (CEC-Phils) is a non-government organization that envisions a strong environmental movement that asserts and gains reforms in the Philippine environmental situation, and advances pro-people, patriotic, progressive, and scientific environmental policies. Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.cecphils.org/contact
AGHAM Advocates of Science and Technology for the People is an organization of patriotic, pro-people science and technology advocates, bonded together by a common interest of promoting science and technology that genuinely serve the interest of the Filipino people, especially the poor. Telephone: +632 998 4226 E-mail: [email protected] www.agham.org
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The PMC TP3 breach that occurred in August of 2012 caused environmental destruction that continuously threatens the lives and livelihood of the immediate communities surrounding the mining operations as well as the communities that are dependent on the watershed ecosystems affected by the pollutants coming from mining. The following are the summary of the findings of the EIM conducted last October 26-28, 20012 with the objective of determining the immediate impacts of the mine tailings spills to the environment and the communities:
Mine Tailings Destruction The immediate manifestations of the environmental damage caused by TP3 breach were the smothering of marine life thriving in Balog River and the junction of Balog and Agno River brought about by mine tailings spill. It rendered the Balog River and the confluence of Balog and Agno River practically biologically dead.
Heavy Metal Contamination The mine tailings was also proven to contain heavy metals that includes copper, zinc arsenic and cobalt that were found in impacts sites, the Balog River and the junction of Balog and Agno River. Copper is the most prevalent heavy metal that registered high concentration in the junction of Balog and Agno River, the highest value is 4.5 times the threshold limit. Prevalence of Various Illnesses in the Community and other Environmental Impacts In San Felipe West, the community experienced headache, chest pains and skin rashes. Some gold panners in San Nicolas, Pangsinan who drank water from the wells dug up beside Agno river lasthad loose bowel movement and itchy sore throats during the TP3 incident. The communities from Sitio Pangbasan, an impact area of the mine tailings spill, observed the rise in river level comparable to flood levels during Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in the morning of August 2, a day after the first tailings spill from TP3.
Adverse effects on livelihood Irrigation water from the river carried a whitish substance into the ricefields. Fisherfolks also observed decreased catch of carp fish right after the TP3 breach. Mine tailings spill rendered productive land contaminated with pollutants coming from the PMC's mining operation based on the account of the community from Itogon, Benguet and San Nicolas and San Manual, Pangasinan.
Violation of workers’ rights Informants claimed that all workers, including the ill, elderly and physically incapable, were forced to report to TP3 facility and Balog River. Miners were also exposed to all kinds of hazards such as lack of ventilation and personal protective equipment, resulting in the death of two employees and several accidents. These cases often go undocumented and denied by the PMC management. Based on the EIM findings, the following demands are being put forward to mitigate the threat of another environmental catastrophe to happen in the future;
1. The decommissioning of TP3 is a justified and legitimate call because of the historical failure of the said facility's structural integrity. The attempts of the company to extend the life span of TP3, only exposes the people and environment to serious threats of another round of disasters.
iv
2. Comprehensive and transparent assessment of impact sites must be conducted to trace the toxicity pathways of the mine tailings, laden with heavy metals and other associated pollutants. The proposed assessment is not only due to the August 2012 incident, but understanding the fact that the Philex Mines has brought on compounded impacts due to previous incidents of tailings pond breach that happened in 1981 (TP1), 1992 (TP2), 2004 and 2007 (TP3).
3. There must be diligent efforts to rehabilitate affected river and terrestrial ecosystems which
should involve containment of pollutants, restoration of damaged parts of the watershed and monitoring of the extent of contamination in flora and faunal species. The rehabilitation must be undertaken with the goal of reviving the productivity of the fishes and crops in parts of Benguet and Pangasinan.
4. The compensation of affected communities and mine workers must be in accordance with
the damage caused by the TP3 breach that affected their sources of livelihood as well as the health impacts that have resulted to lingering and chronic illnesses of the community.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover Page ....................................................................................................................... i
Organizations Involved .................................................................................................... ii
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ iii
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ v
Heavy Metal Analysis Laboratory Results................................................................. 20
Additional photos taken at the Balog and Agno Rivers ............................................. 21
Historical accounts from previous tailings spill incidents ........................................... 22
1 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
INTRODUCTION Following the breach of the Tailings Pond 3 (TP3) of Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) on August
2012, an environmental investigation mission (EIM) was conducted to determine the impacts of
the series of tailing leaks on the river ecosystems of the provinces of Benguet and Pangasinan.
The EIM involved biophysical assessment, sediment sampling and interviews with communities
in impact areas. It was conducted from October 26 to 28, 2012 by teams which consisted of
around 50 volunteers composed of mining, chemical, mechanical and geodetic engineers,
chemists, health and environmental science experts and researchers.
The EIM aimed to assess the immediate impacts of the TP3 breach to the river ecosystems as
well as to the immediate communities. Specifically, it aimed to:
a) To conduct biological and physico-chemical analyses of the identified impact areas
through ocular survey and heavy metal analysis
b) To document effects and impact of PMC tailings pond breach to the communities in San
Manuel and San Nicolas, Pangasinan and Sitio Pangbasan, Barangay Dalupirip, Itogon,
Benguet
c) The EIM was organized by Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Amianan Salakniban, KATRIBU
Indigenous Peoples Partylist, RDC Kaduami, Kalikasan People's Network for the
Environment (Kalikasan-PNE), Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines (CEC-
Phils), Bantay Amianan, and AGHAM – Advocates of Science and Technology for the
People.
Operation of Philex Mining Company Philex Mining Corporation is the biggest mining firm in the country that was established in 1955.
Its mining operation commenced in 1958. It has four mining projects, the Padcal Mining in
Benguet, the Silangan Mining in Surigao del Norte, the Bulawan Mining in Negros Oriental and
the Sibutad Mining in Zamboanga del Norte that operate under Mineral Production Sharing
Agreement under the following contracts,
1. Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA)-156-2000-CAR
2. Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA)-157-2000-CAR
3. Application for Production Sharing Agreement (APSA) 68
4. Application for Production Sharing Agreement (APSA) 2
Of the four (4) mining projects, the Padcal Mine pioneered the underground block cave that
operates in the Far East to produce copper concentrates with copper, gold and silver. The copper
concentrates are being shipped to Japan for smelting while a part of their produce is being shipped
to L.D. Metals Ltd., a British Company.
Block caving is a type of mining technology that creates caves and extracts large volume of rock
that would result to the formation of surface depression. Originally, Philex is using open pit mining
from 1958 to 1963 until its technology was modified into block caving-slusher.
2 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
The Padcal project that covers mining and milling facilities are located in Padcal, Camp 3,
Tuba, Benguet Province and the tailing ponds in Itogon, Benguet. The mining tenement of Philex
in Padcal is about 14,256 hectares (ha) with 7,776 ha approved for Mineral Production Sharing
Agreement.
According to the company’s production update, the Padcal operation has been extended to 2020
from its original closing plan of 2012, it was moved to 2014, then 2017. The extension of mine life
of Padcal will sourced the grade ore at 798 meter level (ML) grade ore, a new mining level
program using block caving that started in 2012 in addition to the current grade ore sources from
the drilling drifts at 867 ML from 840 ML in 2012.
There are three (3) tailings impoundment of Padcal project. Tailings Pond (TP) one (1) and two
(2) have been decommissioned while TP 3 is operating prior to the TP3 breach last August of
2012. TP3 was constructed in 1983 and commissioned in 1992. According to the Land Use Permit
(2007) as cited by Boquiren (2009), the impoundment is about 350 ha. The south end of the main
dike consists of two main stocks A & B that serve as channel structure’s water flow. The penstocks
have diversion tunnel connected to downward east of the river system of Balog.
Background on PMC's TP3 Breach In August 2012, there was a breach in the lower portion of its Penstock A which resulted in the
discharge of voluminous amount of tailings from the tailings pond into Balog River down to Agno
River and San Roque Dam. At least five (5) major incidents of discharge were reported from
August 1 to September 13 (August 1, 4, 11 and 30, and September 13).
TP3 was constructed starting 1983 and was commissioned in 1992 after the collapse of TP2. The
company said that TP3 lifespan ranges from 18-20 years. Given the estimated lifespan and
capacity of the dam, TP3 should have been decommissioned at the earliest in 2010 but it
continued to operate in 2012 until the TP3 happened in August of 2012.
PMC started operations in 1958 but it was only in 1967 that its Tailings Pond 1 (TP1) became
operational. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) records say that
TP1’s useful life was only 10 years but Philex decommissioned TP1 only in 1981, stretching use
of the dam to 14 years. Tailings Pond 2 was immediately commissioned in the same year after
the collapse of TP1. In January 1992, the dam walls of Philex TP2 collapsed because of
foundation failure, resulting to the release of 80 million metric tons (MMT) of mine tailings.
The first TP3 spill on August 1, 2012 left a huge crater with an estimated radius of 30 kilometers.
According to reports, the leakage released around 9.9 million metric tones (MMT) of sediments
which is equivalent to a volume of 12 operational months. The spill covered 2.5 km long and 15
feet wide of Itogon's Balog River with a thickness of 2-8 feet.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (EMB-
CAR) estimated the volume of tailings discharged from August 1-14 at 6 MMT, while the Mines
3 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) pegged the discharge at 5 MMT. Based on the Summary and
Recommendation on Mill Tailings Fee and Liabilities of Philex (MGB Report dated ept 17, 2012),
the total weight of solids discharged is 20,689,179.42 dry MT.
AGHAM compared the TP3's release of mine tailings at 20 MMT to that of the Marcopper spill in
Boac River in Marinduque in 1993. The PMC's mine tailings spill is 12.5 times greater than the
1.6 MMT of mine tailings spill that happened in Marinduque.
PMC employed foreign consultants to help solve the TP3 breach. In a desperate attempt to plug
the hole and stop the continuous tailings spill, PMC employed a trial and error method of dumping
big machinery and equipment, two long haul dump equipment, a functional bulldozer and several
large industrial container boxes in the hopes of filling the hole. However, the pieces of equipment
disposed just went through the tunnel and ended up in the Balog River. Later, Philex started
dumping gigantic concrete spheres that is 9 meters in diameter. A separate spillway was built to
divert the water from TP3. Philex also mobilized its mineworkers and residents to clean up Balog
River.
The results of the laboratory analysis commissioned by EMB-CAR on water samples gathered on
August 3 from the TP3 revealed that the Total Suspended Solids (TSS) value from water samples
from Penstock A is 89,710 mg/L and 4,704 mg/L from Penstock B. According to Professor Alex
Luis, Chief of the EMB-CAR Pollution Control Division, "the figures are way beyond the 50 mg/L
per day maximum TSS level allowed for Philex's operations." This has prompted EMB-CAR to
issue a Notice of Violation to Philex Mining Corporation for violating R.A. 9275 or the Philippine
Clean Water Act of 2004 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.
METHODOLOGY 1. Sampling Sites
TP3 is located 30 kilometers downstream of the Agno River. Discharge from TP3 flowed
directly to the Balog River which converges with the Agno River. Four observation sites
were identified for biophysical characterization and sampling based on their location in
reference to the source of pollution. These sites are the (1) upstream of the Agno River,
(2) the Balog River, (3) the confluence of Balog River and Agno River and (4) downstream
of Agno River below the San Roque Dam.
2. Biological and physico-chemical analyses
Biological and physico-chemical analyses and sediment sampling for heavy metal analysis
were performed in the four (4) identified surveyed sites. Bio-physical assessment includes
the gathering of the followinng observation points: the type of land use present in the
surveyed area, description of river bottom materials, color and odor of river water, clarity
of water river and stream velocity. The time of the observation and the weather conditions
were also recorded during the survey.
Two biological indicators were used to determine the impacts of mine tailings, the
Biodiversity and Sensitivity Indicators. Biodiversity is defined as the number of different
4 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
types of organisms found in a biological community. It is measured through Sequential
Comparison Index as indicated by the presence of macroinvertebrates.
Sensitivity is the response of the organisms in a polluted environment. It is determined
through the Pollutant Tolerant Index (PTI) that measures the sensitivity of
macroinvertebrates to pollution by comparing the number of pollution-tolerant
macroinvertebrates and the number of intolerant macroinvertebrates. (Foundation, 1994)
For heavy metal analysis, composite sediment samples were collected from the riverbanks
and the riverbeds. Cadmium, lead, zinc, copper and cobalt were analyzed using Acid
Digestion/Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry while the analysis used for arsenic
was Digestion/Hydride Vapor Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry.
5 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
Figure 1 Map of the reference and impact areas showing the identified surveyed sites.
6 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
Table 1 Location and description of surveyed sites.
Sampling Site Locality Coordinates Time of conduct Weather
condition Site description
Upstream (Reference
Site) of Sitio
Pangbasan
Brgy. Dalupirip, Itogon,
Benguet
16°14'9.79"N
120°42'5.90"E 3:00-3:15 PM Hot
Surrounded with trees with some
vegetable plots at downstream
areas; the falls is utilized for small
scale hydropower source of
energy by the community
Balog River Brgy.Dalupirip, Itogon,
Benguet
16°14'2.35"N
120°41'50.02"E 2:00-2:20 PM Hot
Riverbank covered with thick silt;
big boulders on riverbanks
entirely covered with gray silt; on
the upper portion of the river is
surrounded by trees and grasses
Confluence of Balog
River Agno River
Brgy.Dalupirip, Itogon,
Benguet
16°13'58.69"N
120°41'51.41"E 2:30-2:45 PM Hot
Thick deposition of silt in the
Balog-Agno confluence
Downstream of Agno
River
Brgy. San Felipe West,
San Nicolas,
Pangasinan
16° 8'36.09"N
120°41'29.72"E 3:00-3:15 PM Sunny
Surrounded with trees and
grasses
7 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 1. Observations at the surveyed sites
Table 1 describes the identified surveyed sites for assessment. Figure 1 is the map of the
reference and impacts areas with identified surveyed sites.
1.1 Pangbasan Falls (Reference Area)
Pangbasan Falls serves as reference site for the upstream river system. Water at
Pangbasan Falls is clear and odorless. Bottom materials of Pangbasan falls are mixtures
of sand, pebbles and leaves. The sediment color is grayish (Figure 2). It has been utilized
by the community as a small scale hydroelectric energy source indicating its good water
quality. Determination of stream velocity was not conducted because the surveyed area
was too shallow.
1.2 Balog Creek (Impact Area)
Balog River is severely turbid and has distinct dark grayish color of water (Figure 3).
Bottom material of the river is covered with silt. Sediment samples smelled like stale fish
and had a noticeable oily surface (Figure 3, inset).
The barrenness and the bleached color of the riverbanks of the Balog River is
remarkable. The bed and the bank of the river are heavily silted with materials from the
collapsed tailings pond. No macroinvertebrate was observed in the surveyed area. This
can be attributed to the heavily silted characteristic of the river caused by the thick
deposition of silt that smothered living organisms once thriving in the river. Silt clogs the
gills of fishes and the abrasion caused by silt and tailings on the gills decreases their
resistance to diseases (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) In addition, fishes also
suffer from cardiac and respiratory disruption (Bunt et al. 2004). Average value of stream
velocity was 0.42 meters/second.
Figure 2 Pangbasan Falls, reference or non-
impact site located in Brgy. Dalupirip, Itogon, Benguet.
Figure 3 The Balog river, wherein the contents of TP3
spilled. Note oily surface of sediments (inset).
8 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
1.3 Junction of Balog and Agno River (Impact Area)
Observations at the confluence of the Balog and Agno Rivers are similar to the
observations noted in Balog River.The water is severely turbid with distinct grayish color.
Sediment samples are mostly silt in composition with oily surface, and possess the same
stale fish stench. The absence of macroinvertebrates is also prominent. The high siltation
at the junction may have caused the death of the fishes and other organisms.
The average stream velocity for the confluence is and much lower than the Balog River
with a value 0.12 meter/second.
1.4 Downstream Area of Agno River: Brgy. San Felipe West and San Nicolas,
Pangasinan (Impact Area)
The downstream of Agno River is characterized by blue green water with no distinct smell
(Figure 4). Bottom materials are composed of silt and rocks with grayish color sediments.
The surveyed site also showed presence of life forms as observed by the existing
organisms such as frogs, dragonfly and macrophytes.
2. Biological Indicators
2.1 Biodiversity Parameter
The biological indicators for the assessment of the effects of the pollutants provide crucial
information on their effects on immediate environment and its biological processes. In
this case, the pollutant or the stressor is the mine tailings spill that contains heavy metals
separated from the flotation process of copper and gold.
The biological parameters used for the assessment of the mine-tailings affected areas
are Biodiversity through Sequential Comparison Index (SCI). and Sensitivity through
Pollutant Tolerant Index.
Figure 4 Downstream portion of Agno River.
9 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
There is no macroinvertebrate present in the surveyed area during the time of the ocular
survey. The upstream (baseline) portion of Agno River in Sitio Pangbasan, Brgy Dalupirip
of Itogon is being utilized by the community for energy resource and household use
indicating good quality of water.
The SCI for the Balog River is zero (0) indicating poor water quality. This can be explain
by the heavily silted characteristic of the river caused by the thick deposition of silt on the
riverbed with significant portion of the river already covered with gray silt.
For the confluence of Balog and Agno River, the SCI is also zero (0). Similar to the
observations from the Balog River, the water is also turbid and brownish in color and with
observable stale fish odor.
The SCI for the downstream of the Agno River is one (1) indicating good water quality.
Other organisms such as aquatic plants, frogs, algae, dragonfly and golden apple snail
are also observed in the sampling site suggesting that the pollutant/stressor has not yet
reached the lower portion of the Agno River. The river is also clear with blue green water.
2.2 Sensitivity Parameter
The sensitivity parameter is measured by means of the Pollutant Tolerant Index (PTI)
that compares the presence or absence of pollution-tolerant macroinvertebrates and the
number of intolerant macroinvertebrates. Based on the water quality rating for PTI, both
the Balog River and the Balog-Agno junction show poor water quality attributed to the
heavy silt that covered a large stretch of both the river systems. As confirmed by the
biodiversity assessment, there is no life forms found in both sampling sites.
The PTI for the downstream portion of San Nicholas indicates the presence of moderately
intolerant (dragonfly) to tolerant (snail) species. The upstream part of the Agno River
also shows good water quality based on the biological observation of the creek and its
current use to the community.
3. Heavy Metal Analysis
Sediment samples gathered from observation site was analyzed by the Philippine Institute of
Pure and Applied Chemistry of Ateneo de Manila University. Figure 5 shows the mean
concentration of heavy metals at various sampling points. Tabulated laboratory results of
sediment samples for heavy metal presence are shown in Appendix 1.
Lowest concentrations of heavy metals are consistently found in the downstream site.
Copper, zinc, arsenic and cobalt show high concentrations in Balog River and Balog River-
Agno River junction relative to the downstream sites. Zinc, arsenic and cobalt are highest in
Balog River while copper is highest at the junction.
10 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
Highest values of 3 out of 4 heavy metals at Balog River strongly confirm contamination of
the creek by the mine tailings spill. Additionally, the elevated levels of at least 2 out of 4
heavy metals at the junction relative to the upstream site indicate likely contamination of the
Agno River by mine tailings from Balog River.
The concentration of copper at the junction is 4.5 times greater than the maximum tolerable
content in soil (Kloke, 1981). Sampled sediments from junction and Balog are almost
exclusively recent deposits of tailings associated with the spill. Increase in copper
concentration at the junction relative to upstream may be solely attributed to the inputs from
Balog River since mine tailings ar e significantly enriched in copper.
The low concentration of copper in Balog River may be explained by heterogeneity in the
original tailings composition. Copper-enriched tailings may have reached the junction
whereas copper-poor tailings may have been deposited at the Balog sampling site.
Contaminants from the spill have deposited at the junction since it is already in the lowland
at elevation 59 m above sea level (masl).
Figure 5 Concentration of selected heavy metals (Zinc, top left; Copper, top right; Arsenic, bottom left; Cobalt, bottom right) in four sampling points. Bars indicate standard deviation. Not included in graph are arsenic and cobalt concentration in site Downstream. The concentration of these metals are less than 0.2 mg/Kg and less than 3 mg/Kg, respectively in the said site.
11 Impacts of the Philex Mining Corporation (PMC) Mine Tailings Pond 3 Failure – Technical Report
According to Dr. Regis, by focusing on the high c opper levels, it can be surmised that copper
level is moving downstream towards the lowland and is accumulating there.
Copper is very toxic to plants and aquatic organisms. Copper is highly toxic to fungi and
algae and can be damaging to soil microorganisms (EPA). Copper is known to be
teratogenic, mutagenic and kill fishes based on various international studies (US-EPA