September 4, 2009

Recent photographs reveal with striking clarity that the Chalillo dam, owned and operated by Canadian hydro company, Fortis, Inc. is discharging sediment laced waters from its reservoir. This discharge is causing turbity levels downstream that are hundreds, if not thousands, of times higher than the standards set by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. University of Massachusetts microbiologist, Dr. Guy Lanza calls it “inexcusable” and has urged that the release of sediment, which is threatening public health and the ecology of Belize’s river system, be halted immediately.

You can help. Send an email to:

Fortis’s Investor Relations demanding that they stop passing the sediment-laden waters through the dam and keep the public informed of all alternative methods for clearing the reservoir of the polluting sediment.