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A decade on: the tailings legacy in Rio Doce water quality
Luciana Pena Mello Brandão1, Bianca Loureiro do Valle1, Renata Cristina Henedino Amancio1
1Limnea-Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|June 20, 2026
Summary
The 2015 Fundão dam collapse continues to impact Rio Doce water quality, with elevated metals and turbidity persisting in affected areas. Seasonal variations highlight ongoing environmental contamination nearly a decade later.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecotoxicology
- Water Quality Management
Background:
- The 2015 Fundão tailings dam collapse released extensive mine waste into the Rio Doce Basin.
- This event caused significant and long-lasting environmental damage to the river system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the seasonal variations in water quality and metal concentrations in impacted versus non-impacted sub-basins of the Rio Doce.
- To assess the persistent ecological effects of mine tailings nearly a decade after the disaster.
Main Methods:
- Seasonal water quality and metal concentration data were collected over three years.
- Multivariate analyses (PCA, PERMANOVA) and mixed-effects models were employed.
- Cluster analysis was used to identify spatial contamination patterns.
Main Results:
- The impacted Doce River sub-basin exhibited persistently higher turbidity and metal loads (Mn, As, Fe, Al) compared to the reference Santo Antônio River.
- Significant spatial and temporal differences in water quality variables were observed.
- Elevated contamination was particularly pronounced during the rainy season, with distinct spatial groupings related to proximity to the tailings source and confluence zones.
Conclusions:
- The legacy of the Fundão tailings dam collapse continues to significantly influence water quality and suspended particulate matter dynamics in the Rio Doce.
- The findings underscore the necessity for sustained, spatially explicit monitoring to guide ecosystem recovery and effective environmental management strategies.
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