Manzaillo Rock Ash Deposit

[Texas Bill]

Hi Folks;
An item dear to my heart is the contamination of the environs around Manzanillo (Pepillo Salcedo) by the rock ash deposited there a couple of yeaars ago and the elimination of same by the guv'mt and which they got paid to do from the proceeds of the lawsuit filed in the States.
It seems that something is finally being done, though I'm not sure about the effectiveness of the solution being produced.
My driver, Silvio Torres, just got back from a weekend visit and informed me that they are going to cover the contaminated area with two(2) inches of "oil". By that I assume they are gonig to use asphalt to cover the area.
I question this solution since such a solution doesn't speak to the probability of the contaminates leaking down into the water table or funning off into the adjacent lagoon just a stones throw away.
Granted, this solution may work and be considerably cheaper than hauling the rock ash away and burning it as they did with that in Samana.
Does anyone have a comment about the method being used??
Appreciate any comment offered.

Texas Bill

[DrChrisHE]

It sounds like a mess! I'm interested in hearing if others have heard of this method and if the area is covered, TexasBill please do let us know how it goes. I'm not sure of all the background on this specific case but there is the potential for an oil and ash to actually form a "soap" compound...which would most definitely be liable to leeching to other areas. The science behind this is that ashes mixed with water form a strong alkali and oils of any type when mixed with say lye for example, become soap. It is a powerful reaction.