Tonight, the Santander Sugar Group is responding to growing questions surrounding the fish kill in the Belize River Valley. In a statement, the company says its operations do not routinely discharge process water into the Belize River and that its canals are not connected to Labouring Creek.
Santander says it has been cooperating with the Department of the Environment and other government agencies investigating the incident. The company said it, quote, "immediately granted unrestricted access to our facilities and operations" and remains available to provide information or assistance to investigators.
On the issue of wastewater, the company says its processing facility operates as a "closed-loop system." Quote, "Unlike conventional discharge systems, the factory does not operate with a continuous process effluent stream returning to the Belize River,".
Santander says its operations form part of a larger watershed that includes agricultural, residential, and other land uses extending from the Cayo District into the Belize District. They added that it manages approximately 12 percent of the agricultural land within that wider watershed.
The Department of the Environment still has not established the cause of the fish kill, but continues to investigate and area rep Marconi Leal says he's determined to get to the bottom of it.
