Environmental Evaluation in

Desalination Plants of the Atacama

Region

Santiago, marzo de 2019

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Environmental Assesment Service
• Created by Law 20,417, which
modifies Law 19,300 (Law on
General Bases for the
Environment.

• Administer the Environmental

Impact Assessment System
(SEIA).

• Through the SEIA, the

environmental impact of a
project or activity is determined
in accordance with current
regulations

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 ¿Does it enter
DIA*
the SEIA?

RCA*

EIA*
Art. 10 Law 19.300
Art. 3º del RSEIA Sí genera
efectos art. 11

Assesment Qualification

• Assesment the proper dsescription on the

Proyects
Acronym in Spanish for:
• Identify and assessment environmental DIA (Environmental Impact Statement)
impacts. EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment)
RCA (Environmental Qualification
• Assesment of measures that respond to these Resolution)
OAECA (agencies of the state
effects. administration with environmental
Participation of OAECAS and citizenship competencie)
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Environmental Assesment
Assesment of impacts…

Location

Parts/ Impact Waste

Works/ and
Actions factor emissions

Natural
resources

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Assesment of impacts…

Location

Parts/ Impact Waste

Works/ and
Actions factor emissions

Natural
resources

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 Parts/
Works/
Actions

Reverse osmosis
Collecction System Discharge system
plant

CONSTRUCTION– OPERATIÓN – CLOSING

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 Parts/
Works/
Actions

Collecction System
Proyect: “Proyecto Diego de Almagro” RCA N131/2015.

• Feature / Descriptión
• Catchment speed.

Proyect: “Abastecimiento de agua

para la Minería del Valle de Copiapó”
RCA N°192/2010 9
 Partes/
Parts/ Waste
Works/
Obras/ and
Actions
Acciones emissions
Reverse osmosis
plant

Pretreatment

Operations Waste
Treatment

Postreatment

Hazardous Effluents
substances 10
Parts/
Works/
Actions

Discharge system

• Materials
• Depth
• Diffusers.
• Number of emissaries.
• Distancie.
• Support.

Proyect: “ENAPAC”.

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Assesment of impacts…

Location

Parts/ Impact Waste

Works/ and
Actions factor emissions

Natural
resources

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 Natural
resources

Physical
oceanography
• Currents
• Tides
• Surf.
• Winds.

Wind speed magnitude

time series

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 Natural
resources

Chemical
oceanography
• water quality
(column)
• Quality of sediments

EIA Proyect Cerro Blanco

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 Natural
resources

Biotic

• Planktonic
communities.
• Biotic inter and
subtidal.
• Fishes, mammals
and birds.

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Brine discharge (Operation Stage) (Visual Plumes Model):

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Assesment of impacts…

Location

Parts/ Impact Waste

Works/ and
Actions factor emissions

Natural
resources

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Location
Uses of the territory

Source: Abastecimiento de Desalada Mantoverde (2011) 18

Location
Uses of the territory

Fuente: Abastecimiento de Desalada Mantoverde (2011)

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 Areas of natural
resource extraction

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Environmental Impacts

• Alteration of the chemical quality of the water column (Salinity, pH)

• Alteration of benthic communities (Composition, abundance and

distribution).

• Access restriction.

• Alteration of paleontological sites

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Environmental permits
 Discharges to the sea research fishing Treatment plant
Art. 115 Art. 119 Art. 139

Gobierno de Chile | Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental 23

 ¡Thanks!
Environmental Assesment Service
Marco Estrada Zamora
Environmental Evaluator

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