According to the company, preliminary investigations indicated that the discharge is related to the separation of the geotextile liner from the concrete decant structure. While a portion of the contact between the liner and the concrete has been exposed, efforts were under way to lower the level in the pond to expose the balance and determine the extent of the separation and the nature of the required repairs.

Breakwater said that based on monitoring conducted to date, there were no indications of adverse impacts on receiving waters including Lake Yojoa. No structural damage had been located at Soledad and none was thought to exist.

The company said mining at Mochito continues and will do so as long as is practical. Alternatives, including the possible re-commissioning of a retired tailings facility, are being explored in an effort to return the operation to normal mining and milling levels as soon as possible, but until the investigation has concluded and a recovery plan established, no reliable estimate of when milling will resume could be given.

The mine is accessed by an 870-m service shaft and a 780-m production shaft. Mochito utilizes a combination of mining methods dependent upon the size, geometry and geotechnical considerations of the various zones. Mechanized post pillar cut and fill is the predominant mining method used in chimney type settings throughout Mochito, while post pillar open stoping is used in shallow dipping mantos where the height of the zone is no more than two cuts. Conventional narrow vein cut-and-fill and shrinkage stoping is practiced in the highergrade areas throughout the upper mine.

The mill is a conventional, differential sulphide flotation mill capable of processing 2,300 mt/d of ore, producing separate zinc and lead concentrates.

The Mochito mine is located in northwest Honduras, near the town of Las Vegas. The mine was originally discovered in 1938.