Lepanto Mine Tailings Dam

In Sitio (sub-village) Cabitin where the streams entwine to journey toward Ilocos Sur, a red orange stain stays upon the rocks, boulders and water way past the golden sunrise. Aptot River now referred to as Lepanto River, flows past the tailings dam that LCMCo built to contain the chemical wastes produced from processing gold and copper. The tailings persistently escape to Lepanto, which mingles with other mineral-rich tributaries and contaminates the water that moves on to irrigate the farms of Ilocos Sur and Abra.