Rt€@lll

Other areas with important pollution problems
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Additionat areas of the region with important pollution problems or zones at risk such
as oil pipelines, terminals and refineries are shown in Figure l.
On lhe Pacific coast of Panama, Armuelleg Port (Chiriqui Gulf) is a risk area. Here
crude oil from Alaska is transferred to smaller tankers for transporting through the Panama
Canal. About 15,m0r000 barrels of oil pass through the Panama Canal per year (Kwiecinsky'
f98l). Cqper may eventually be mined in Cerro Colorado, Chiriqui province.
On the Pacific coast of Colombia, the port of Tumaco has hydrocarbon pollution
resulting from the dumping of air[-ballast (Vergara and Pizarro, I98l) and a risk of pollution
by crude oil from the Trans-Andean pipeline terminal (Orito-Tumaco).
On the coast of Ecuedor, the following aress have risks of oil pollution or have
pollution problems:
- Ertuary of the EsmGrddaa River, as a result of effluents from the oil refinery;
- Bglao Arae (Esmeraldas), pipeline terminal for crude oil coming from the Oriental Region;
- La Libartad Port and nearby areas m the Peninsula of Santa Ebna, oil terminalr refinery
and oil wells very close to the shore;
- Mante Bay, port for coastal vessels and much of lhe fishing fleet of Ecuador, dunping by
fishing industries.
In Peru, the following areas with significant pollution problems must be considered
(Guillen, l98t):
- Tel,era Bay and nearby areas, oil wells m the continental shelf and close to the shore,
effluents from the oil refineryn terminal for loading and unloading both crude and
refined produets, d.rnrping of ballas!, natural oil seeps;
- Bayovar Bay, pipeline terminal for crude oil;
- Chimbote Bay, discharge of dqnestic and indusLrial wastes, espeeially by fishing industries;
dunping of oil and by-products; pollution described as "grave"l reports of acasional
signa of eutrophication;
- Pctr of Supa, Pirco and llo, mainly due to direct discharges from the fishing industries;
- Ita Bey, tailings from the copper mines of Toquepala and Cuajone; pollution considered
Itsriou8ill neports of the absence of fish and other marine organisms and of damage to
the beaches.
In Chile, Cstilla (f981) mentions the followinq areas:
- lq.lique Bay, domestic and fishing industry wastes;
- Taqilla-Crlct6 Jvlingftilla, copper concentrating plant with pollution by iron, copper, acids,
and inert rnaterial end the absence of animal and plan! life m parts of the eoast where
the untreated washings are discharged;
- Chanaral, concentrating plant for copper and rnolybdenite, tailings from El Salvador copper
mines producing "svererr pollution and the disappearance of benthic organisms;
- Husco-Chepaco Bay, iron pelletizing plant and deposits of clay materials;
- Coquimbo Bey, dornestic wasteg producing biological pollution affecting bivalve nnlluscs and
beaches; copper concentreting plant; "grave" pollution;
- Valparairo-Vina dcl Mar, port activity, industrial discharges, and an organie load of
dqnestic westes estimeted at 10,400 tons BOD/year;
- Cm Cm Ertuery of tha Acancagua River, oil refinery, discharges from the Aconcagua
basin, rcports of organic decomposition, toxicity and oxygen depletion;
- Ccltitucicr, c=llulose factory producing oxygen deficiency, toxicity, organic solids, fibres;
- Ertractp dc Megatlence, high pollution at localized points, oil exploitation, route of
nrpertankers;
- Mdpo Rivcr (Metropolitan Region) with me tributary (M+ocho River) which croslies
city of Santiago; the eatimated organic loed from domestic wasles rcceived by
Msipo river is 56r4fJ,O tone B@/year.
It ie clear from the above listing of eignificantly polluted areas in the South-East
Prific ttret rruch rcrnains to be done in the framework of the Action Plian for the Pr-otection
of the Marine Environrnent and Coestal Arees of the Sorth-East Pscific to preyent further
degradation of the environnpnt and to correct existing probbms.
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