Who are Barrick Gold?

Barrick Gold is a Canadian-based mining company. It encourages local communities to participate in the company’s water monitoring activities at its Pascua-Luma mine in Chile.

What was done?

In 2013, community representatives were trained to undertake water sampling and then invited to test water quality at several different monitoring points along El Carmen River. They subsequently delivered these tests to an independent, accredited laboratory of their choice in the Chilean capital of Santiago. To improve the transparency of the process, public monitors collected the results of the evaluation in person and received clarifications of the results – including how these matched the “acceptable standards for water quality” – from technicians.

The company has also conducted similar water testing initiatives at its Lagunas Norte mine in Peru and its Veladero mine in Argentina. These initiative support one on the most basic human rights: access to clean water.