A Brazilian court in the city of Linhares, in the state of Espirito Santo, has ruled that iron ore pellet producer Samarco must build iron ore waste dams with floodgates as a way to protect local rivers.
Samarco is a 50/50 JV between BHP Billiton and Vale; operations were halted in November 2015 following a deadly iron ore waste dam burst.
The court ruling said Samarco should build the dams along all rivers that connect to the Doce River in the city of Linhares. The first river in Linhares to receive the dam will be the Rio Pequeno, followed by a second river that connects the Lagoa Nova to the Doce River.
Samarco was ordered to build the dams within 13 months. If the company fails to build the dams in time, it will face a daily fine of BRL 50,000 ($16,024).
The Espirito Santo Institute of Environmental and Hydric Resources, IEMA, will determine whether provisional dams already built without floodgates should be removed, kept or reformed.