which joins the Guadalquivir. The estuary of this system and its wetlands are part of a national park. The immediate threat to the life, health and livelihood of the people of Aznacóllar and the downstream wetlands was apparent. The clean- up was extensive, the material collected dumped in the Aznacóllar pit while the Los Frailes pit was flooded with acidic mine drainage. The court case demanding damages from the company responsible, Boliden, is still undecided, as is the future of the mine. There are some less destructive developments. One actually makes use of degraded rivers and the processes involved. I said above that nothing could live in the Rio Tinto, but that is not quite true. Lithotrophic bacteria, one of the oldest life forms on earth, can and do live in this acidic environment. They eat rocks such as iron sulphide and leave behind metal in the leachate. In the very long term they produce soil, so they can be employed in remediation programmes and for bio- mining the tailings. Because of its geological configuration, the area has also provided insight into dealing with problems related to Mars exploration and sample drilling. The Rio Tinto Quay was originally constructed on wooden platforms with screw piles driven into the soft mud of the river bed, providing the foundation for a two-tier pier that used gravity to move railway wagons to and from waiting freighters. Its restoration is now a tourist attraction and recreational asset for local people. It is only two kilometres east of the walled Protestant settlement of Reina Victoria that Rio Tinto built for British staff employed at the railhead, port facilities and the company’s administrative offices. It is a Garden City middle class inflected architecture, still evident in Huelva – a home away from home. Tharsis Pier, on the other side of the river has not yet been restored but is undergoing an engineering and social assessment.
Rio Tinto, near the Tharsis mine where it feeds into the Odiel.
Rio Tinto barrio, Reina Victoria in 2026.
all images Tim Sharp
Rio Tinto Quay in Huelva, originally for loading wagons of ore, now restored.
24 on site review 49 :: shorelines
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