Vale Prepares for Paraopeba River Dredging

Vale, a Brazilian mining company, is moving ahead with emergency projects to implement measures for containing the tailings coming from Dam I of the Córrego do Feijão Mine, located in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 

In Section 1 of the plan, in the affected 10-km stretch that extends from Dam 1 to the Paraopeba River, running along the Ferro-Carvão Stream, the company is cleaning the area where there will be a dike (consisting of blocks of compacted rock) for the retention of the thicker and heavier tailings.

In parallel, the transport and storage of rocks that will be used in the construction of the structure is in progress.

In Section 2, in a 30 kilometer area that stretches from the meeting of the Ferro-Carvão stream with the Paraopeba River to the City of Juatuba, as defined in the emergency plan, Vale is mobilizing and installing equipment that will be used to dredge the coarsest debris, like sand and stones.

The main objectives are the cleaning and the de-sanding of the Paraopeba River channel.

According to Vale, the residue will be collected by two dredgers and will be disposed of properly, outside of the Permanent Preservation Area (APP) of the river.

All initiatives are being widely discussed with the competent agencies before their implementation, and that the ongoing activities are being properly released by the Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the company.