EPA Maintain Claims that Bea Mountain Mining Company Caused Cape Mount Water Pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency says that it stands by its preliminary findings and categorically states that the findings were based on scientific analysis and data collected by well-trained technicians and scientists in the field. 

EPA response comes in the wake of statement by Bea Mountain Mining Company (BMMC) that it rejects the preliminary findings of the EPA investigation that linked the company to water pollution in waterways in Grand Cape Mounty County.

EPA, in a release, said it maintains the authenticity of the preliminary findings, which stated that “The analysis results showed higher than [the] permissible level of free cyanide (with source from the BMMC tailing storage facility). The presence of excess cyanide led to the contamination of the water sources and the situation has severely disrupted and injured the livelihood of the communities that depend on that water resources.”

“There were deaths to aquatic species including fish, crabs, crawfish, and other fauna inhabitants; and these fatalities were caused by asphyxiation (deprivation of oxygen needed to sustain life underwater). [But] there could be other conditions that led to the death of the fish and that it would require additional investigation,” the EPA said in its findings. 

yanide, a chemical used to wash gold but dangerous to human health, allegedly spilled from the facility at the company’s New Liberty Gold Mine in Kinjor and emptied into the rivers villagers used for cooking, fishing, and washing, the EPA said.

It added that it will move ahead with plans to further widen the investigation including the invitation of a third-party EPA-certified consultant/Laboratory to further determine the cause of death of the aquatic species. 

“The Agency maintains the authenticity of the preliminary findings and the integrity of its work. The EPA, therefore, calls on the management of Bea Mountain Mining Corporation to cooperate with the investigation. 

“EPA technicians and scientists in the field conducted scientific investigations downstream of BMMC operations and continued upstream to assess the quality of the water, probing the authenticity of the alleged pollution and trace plausible source(s) of pollution. The initial phase of the investigation included sample collection, social interviews, community engagement, environmental scoping, geospatial data, and drone imagery.