After three months of evaluation, the Environmental Impact Study continues its processing process with the first ICSARA delivered by the SEA of the Valparaíso region to Inmobiliaria Las Salinas. “This is a good opportunity to continue advancing in an even more sustainable remediation project,” said the company’s General Manager, Arturo Natho. VIÑA DEL MAR – A new milestone was reached on March 8 with the delivery of the Consolidated Report on the request for clarifications, rectifications and/or extensions to the EIA (ICSARA) by the Environmental Assessment Service of the Valparaíso Region to Inmobiliaria Las Salinas, a subsidiary of Empresas Copec, in relation to the EIA submitted to the SEIA on December 5. The environmental authority’s report contains more than 130 observations of various kinds, including progress in the understanding of groundwater and its characterization, as well as a more in-depth explanation of the remediation process based on biopiles. Indeed, the company proposed to remediate the sands through “bioremediation”, which consists of accelerating the natural processes of biodegradation through the use of microorganisms that absorb and digest the contaminants, in this case, hydrocarbons. This bioremediation will be carried out in biopiles, mounds of sand contained in high-density polyethylene and covered. By means of pipes, air is incorporated into the biopiles, allowing oxygen to be added to the process, being captured on leaving to be treated in an activated carbon filter to capture volatile compounds. “This report (ICSARA) and the authority speaks of the rigor with which all the services involved in the evaluation process are acting. The questions imply a challenge and a good opportunity to move forward with an even more sustainable project,” said Natho. The development manager, Esteban Undurraga, said: “We are confident that we can continue to make progress in perfecting our project and make it more robust at the time of implementation. For the same reason, we are already planning the work on the responses that we will provide to the authority through an addendum, which will be submitted during the second half of this year”.
