The National Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) this week announced that the spring located less than 75 meters from the site of an explosive December chemical fire has no contaminants and its water is suitable for human consumption.
The announcement meant restored water service for about 2,000 people in the Caribbean coastal town of Moín who had been depending on water trucks since the Dec. 13 fire.
The blaze at a Químicos Holanda chemical storage plant took the lives of two workers and spilled toxic solvents into the surrounding ecosystem (TT, Dec. 15, 2006).
The nearby spring provided water for 20,000 area residents, and was immediately quarantined.
While some residents received water service redirected from an unaffected river, others – including the 2,000 who had their service restored this week – have depended on visits from water-tanker trucks ever since.
Environment and Energy Minister Roberto Dobles told The Tico Times that technicians had been taking daily samples from the springs’ aquifers since the fire, and since Dec. 26, 2006, the samples have been free of contaminants.
“There is no danger in using the water,” Dobles said.
