Toxic Spill Threatens Spanish Nature Reserve

HUELVA, Spain —  Government authorities battled to prevent a major ecological disaster Saturday after a mining company’s toxic waste reservoir burst, sending millions of gallons of contaminated water into a river that flows past one of Europe’s leading nature reserves.

In Toronto, the Canadian owners of the Los Frailes mine--Boliden Ltd.--issued a statement saying the breach occurred late Friday. The pond, outside the southern city of Seville, then released liquid containing cadmium, zinc and other metals into the Guadiamar River.

The extent of the overflow was not immediately known, but police and environmental groups estimated the amount at millions of gallons.

The spill flooded acres of agricultural land, while an oily black film covered the river as it flowed south toward the Atlantic.

The mayors of seven towns along the riverbank warned citizens not to drink from ground wells, and sheep and cattle owners were urged to keep their livestock away from the toxic waters.

Engineers worked through the day to shut off the river’s access to the 185,000-acre Donana National Park, located along Spain’s southwestern coast, close to the border with Portugal. The largest and most famous of Spain’s nature reserves, it is made up of vast stretches of pine dunes, forests and marshes.