The Environment Tribunal has paralyzed all work on the San José-Caldera highway because of apparent environmental damages, the court said in a statement Thursday.

The tribunal, an administrative court under the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Technology (MINAET), ruled construction of the highway has affected the Barva aquifer, the Río Tárcoles and at least 20 streams and rivers along the route from Ciudad Colón, a town southwest of San José, to the town of Orotina, just inland from the central Pacific coast.

The court ordered “detailed studies” from the MINAET's water department and the National Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage Service (SENARA) before any work can continue.

Autopistas del Sol, the Spanish company carrying out the project, released a statement late Thursday in its defense. It said the court has followed “mistaken assumptions” in its ruling, claiming the project has stuck closely to Costa Rican environmental guidelines.

In May, construction workers cut a trench 15 to 20 meters deep near San Rafael de Alajuela, west of San José, despite plans that show the Barva aquifer rises to within five meters of the surface. Footage on Channel 7 news showed water pouring out of the ground in this area (TT, June 5).