Toxic liquids flow yet again from phosphate mining company in Negev
Initial inquiries into pea-green water indicate rainwater mixed with heaps of phosphogypsum, a radioactive byproduct of the fertilizer-producing concern, ICL Rotem
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
A phosphate mining company in the Negev desert with a poor environmental record found itself in the eye of a storm again on Thursday after pea-green water was discovered flowing down from heaps of phosphogypsum — a radioactive byproduct of the industry.
The Environmental Protection Ministry said an initial investigation indicated that recent rainfall had mixed with dry phosphogypsum at the ICL Rotem (formerly Rotem Amfert Negev Ltd.) site.
The water was flowing toward the company’s phosphate mines, and away from the Ashalim stream, the ministry said, adding that it was supervising the efforts to pump the liquid out.
It said it viewed the case of pollution seriously and would use its enforcement powers, if necessary, after a full examination.
A company spokesperson said the event had followed “an abnormal amount of rainfall” and that it had taken immediate action to pump the toxic water out.
The company mines phosphate rock from phosphate deposits to make fertilizer.
In June 2017, a wall of the plant’s evaporation pond collapsed, sending between 100,000 and 250,000 cubic meters (3.5 million to 8.8 million cubic feet) or more of highly toxic wastewater rushing through the Ashalim stream, killing wildlife and causing long-term environmental damage.
Two years ago, the company promised to clean up an estimated million cubic meters of industrial waste that had built up over decades, in return for a three-year extension to its franchise. At that time, The Environmental Protection Ministry estimated that it would take 20 years and around NIS 325 million (then equivalent to $103 million) to clean up what accounted for 80 percent of all industrial waste in the country and to rehabilitate the soil and water polluted by waste seepage.
A class action suit against ICL and Rotem Amfert Negev Ltd. is ongoing over alleged pollution of the Zin and Akrabim streams and springs, southeast of the Ashalim stream.
Earlier this year, ICL Rotem was designated as the company with the highest negative environmental impact in the Environmental Protection Ministry’s annual ranking. (The ranking was based on data from 2021).
It secured the top place, thanks to repeated violations of the law and regulations each year, from 2019 through 2021.
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