In 2014, severe water shortage issues in São Paulo pushed many local companies to search for alternatives; among them was a multinational company with several sites in Brazil.

GEOKLOCK developed a water availability study for the company, identifying risks and opportunities in the technical, economic, legal spheres, as well as that of company image.

As part of this project, GEOKLOCK assessed the social and environmental impacts associated with a fire in a bulk storage warehouse at the Port of Santos, in the state of São Paulo. The efforts included the following tasks:

• Campaigns to monitor the quality of the estuary water, including the aquatic biota;
• Identification of emergency actions to minimize the consequences of the damage to the quality of the estuary water due to the discharge of firefighting water;
• Definition of programs to recover the surface water quality.

The project also identified the following issues for the local soil:

• Areas affected;
• Potential primary sources of soil and groundwater impact;
• The materials generated in the accident;
• Other potential sources of impact.

Having gathered all necessary data, GEOKLOCK proposed an environmental recovery plan, considering all short- and medium-term emergency actions to be implemented, such as:

• Containment of active sources of contamination;
• Detailed investigation of environmental impacts;
• Survey of underground plants;
• Other underground structures;
• Studies to monitor the physical medium and the biota on land and in the estuary.