Brazilian miner and iron ore producer Vale has agreed to review dam break studies for all its dams located in Minas Gerais state, public prosecutors said.
Vale, along with public prosecutors in the state of Minas Gerais and the state’s solicitor general's office, agreed to use technical-based data for each dam to complete the studies, which simulate what would happen in eventual dam collapse.
The study will include 91 Vale dams and 22 of the company’s mines in Minas Gerais state, including several dams that do not currently have what prosecutors called an “assured stability.”
Four dams are at emergency level 3, which means they could break at any time; two other dams are at level 2, and 11 other structures at level 1.
Prosecutors said independent auditors from Aecom do Brasil, paid for by Vale, will monitor the studies and will present prosecutors with monthly reports.