Chilean authorities have fined Santiago’s privatized water utility, Aguas Andinas, for violating health and environmental regulations at its La Farfana plant, the largest wastewater-treatment facility in Latin America. The fines, which include the biggest penalty ever levied by Santiago’s regional health service, concern an “excessive accumulation of sludge” that has sent foul odors into nearby communities. Health officials say those odors have caused residents to complain of headaches and nausea. Such has been the public criticism of Aguas Andinas that Chilean President Ricardo Lagos himself took the company to task. During a press conference Oct. 27, he charged that the Spanish-owned company had made mistakes in the construction and management of the plant, which is the principal sewage-treatment facility serving the Chilean... [Log in to read more]