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BACKGROUND
A pulp mill is under construction on the Rio Itata, a river in Southern Chile that meets the sea just south of a stretch of coast that is one of the best-kept secrets in South America, where numerous left points dot a beautiful and pristine landscape. The area has, until now, remained relatively untouched by industry, and its residents enjoy a life based on farming, winegrowing and fishing. Fields are plowed by oxen, fishing is done from small pangas, and the most normal mode of transport from one town to the next is by horseback.
The Itata river valley has for many decades supported a thriving agricultural and wine-growing region. Enter Celco, one of Chile's largest pulp companies, which converts wood from tree farms (mostly low-grade pine and eucalyptus) into pulp for paper products. Celco is nearing completion of what will be Chile’s largest pulp mill, in Nueva Aldea, located in the valley some 30 km from the coast.
Pulp mills typically produce huge amounts of pollution. The production of cellulose releases large amounts of chlorine-based chemicals into nearby water supplies and carcinogenic substances (dioxins) into the air. The effects of such a large mill on the pristine Itata River would be devastating both to the local farming economy and the health of the river. It would also have a significant negative impact on the water quality downstream from the mill, at the mouth of the river, and along the coast to the north of the river where the Humboldt Current would carry pollutants up the coast.
Celco already has a bad track record in Chile. In Valdivia, toxic run-off from another of Celco’s mills contaminated a large archipelago inside a nearby UNESCO bio-reserve, causing the disappearance of hundreds of black-necked swans. In 2005, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos forced the closure of the facility for many months, costing Celco millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Celco’s mill in Nueva Aldea is due to start production in June 2006. An initial EIR (environmental impact assessment) conducted last year by CONAMA, Chile’s National Commission on the Environment, recommended against Celco’s initial application to construct the mill. Soon thereafter, the EIR drafting committee at CONAMA was fired, and a newly-appointed committee approved Celco’s application. “The whole scenario reeks of corruption,” stated Proplaya director Joshua Berry.
Celco then constructed a plant that was four times as large as what was allowed under the permit. The Government of Chile, under pressure from environmental groups to act against Celco, fined the company $25,000, and allowed them to continue construction. “That fine is like pocket change for a company like Celco,” claimed Berry. “They make millions of dollars in profit per week.”
“A mill of this size, pumping toxins into the water on this beautiful coastline, will effectively destroy the tourism and fishing industry for hundreds of miles,” states Save the Waves director Will Henry. “The waves on this coast are considered by many surfers to be some of the best in the world. If the mill goes in, with the current lack of environmental standards that exists in Chile, the water will certainly become too toxic to swim in or surf in.”
Many local groups have opposed the mill's construction from the get-go, including the area’s winegrowers, farmers and cattle ranchers, as well as a long list of local and international environmental organizations. As opposition to the pulp mill mounted, Celco attempted to appease local residents and businesses in the Itata Valley by proposing to build a duct to the sea, which would reduce harm to the river but increase the impact of pollutants on the marine environment down-current from the outflow location. The new proposal seems to have garnered support from Chile’s Government, which approved the alternate plan and has begun to build a new road alongside the river to provide easier access to Celco’s construction crews. Celco has begun an aggressive campaign to purchase properties near the river to provide a path for the duct to the sea, and has been using intimidating methods to force private landowners to sell. Most opposition groups do not see the duct as a solution, but rather just another tactic by Celco to resist using cleaner technology in its new mill.
Save the Waves director Will Henry recently traveled to Chile on a diplomatic mission in an attempt to find a solution to the problem of pulp mill pollution. Accompanied by Josh Berry of Proplaya and a team of other environmental activists from the US, the goal was to find a compromise that would be acceptable to the pulp industry, environmental groups and government leaders alike. “The main issue in Chile is that the pulp industry is not being held accountable for the damage they cause to the natural environment,” stated Henry. “The only solution, other than the closing of all of Chile’s pulp mills, is for the Government of Chile to enforce strict environmental standards through a system of independent and regular monitoring of mill effluent, and to impose harsh penalties on mills that do not comply.”
Save the Waves and Proplaya are co-authoring a proposal that will be presented to the Government of Chile in the near future. Save the Waves is also providing financial assistance to its Chilean partner, Proplaya, in order to keep the pressure on government and industry leaders until an acceptable solution is found.
RECENT NEWS
Posted by Will Henry, executive director, November 8, 2006
Save the Waves has taken an active role against Celco and their new mill since May of 2006. In June, Joshua Berry, former director of Proplaya, was hired as Save the Waves Chile Program Director, and has been working full-time to implement a strategy to force improved environmental standards on the pulp industry. A water-testing program was initiated on the Rio Itata in August, funded by Save the Waves, to establish a benchmark for the health of the river before the contentious mill at Nueva Aldea began operations. The mill is now operating, and a second set of tests in scheduled for early November. The testing is being managed by Universidad Austral in Concepcion, with further testing to be conducted in the United States.
Mr. Berry has been very busy meeting with civic leaders, environmental lawyers, and scientists in order to develop a bullet-proof strategy to take on Celco in court. First, however, adequate scientific data must be collected, in order to build a sound case against Celco, which is reputedly one of the biggest ocean polluters in South America. Save the Waves has also been organizing and actively involved in many events to raise public awareness of the growing problem of pulp mill pollution, which will be essential in its battle to force industry compliance.
Despite the enormous environmental threat posed by Celco's mills - not only in Nueva Aldea, but also in Valdivia and Constitucion - Save the Waves appears to be the only international organization committed to taking concrete steps to challenge the industry and find a solution to its outdated practices. Closely allied with Chile's Proplaya and aided by Greenpeace Chile, positive change seems to be occurring, but victory will not be possible without increased financial support from the surf industry.
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