"Minera Zaldívar faces complaint over water extraction", 24 June 2025

The community argues that the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) failed to adequately evaluate the cumulative and synergistic impacts of the project “Operational Adjustments in the Mine Area”…

A hearing related to the complaint against the project “Operational Adjustments in the Mine Area” was held before the First Environmental Court…

The community maintains that this initiative constitutes an extension of water extraction, whose permits would have expired in 2024. They claim that the SEA did not properly assess the cumulative and synergistic impacts on an aquifer that is already reportedly overexploited, nor did it consider the effects on territories of ancestral use, which they argue violates rights established under ILO Convention 169 and the Chilean Constitution

The SEA, however, has requested that the complaint be dismissed, arguing that the project only involves a limited 20‑month extension of the mine area’s operational life, without modifying the water extraction regime or other previously authorized conditions…

The mining company’s lawyer, Rodrigo Guzmán, explained that this is a short-duration project with an investment of 1.2 million dollars, which does not alter existing environmental permits or underground water‑use conditions…

Regarding the allegation of impacts on ancestral territory, the SEA indicated that the evaluation received a favorable opinion from the National Indigenous Development Corporation (Conadi), which ruled out direct impacts on Indigenous peoples…