Due to persistent extreme drought conditions this summer, water levels in a reservoir in northeastern Spain have dropped to historic lows, exposing large areas of old mine tailings that had long been submerged. Reservoir patrol personnel discovered that after exposure to sunlight and erosion from intermittent rainfall, heavy metals such as lead, zinc, and copper had leached into the water, resulting in a slight increase in heavy metal concentrations in water quality samples from the reservoir.
Leave a Reply