Brazilian mining regulator, ANM, inspected Vale’s B5 dam on Tuesday and found no anomalies. ANM’s dam inspection follow a request from a public prosecutors, following a report of “cracks” at the dam’s structure.
ANM said the B5 dam, located in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais state, “presents the same characteristics identified (in the regulator’s last visit) and the structure remains regular,” the watchdog said.
ANM said the reports of “cracks” are due to the irregular use of the dam as a motocross racetrack, which resulted in “irregularities” in the structure of dam. However, ANM said there are “no reasons for concerns.”
The regulator said it already notified Vale to intensify the dam’s monitoring to check for movements in the structure, vertically and horizontally.
“The B5 dam presents no relevant structure anomalies,” ANM said in a statement, adding it will continue to oversee the structure remotely, based on Vale’s reports sent to the regulator.