Quimsacocha Mining Fight Isn't Over: What the Loma Larga Standoff Means for Cuenca's Water

If you drink water in Cuenca, you have a stake in Quimsacocha.

The battle over the Loma Larga gold mining project—located in the páramo highlands about 35 kilometers south of the city—has been one of the defining issues in Cuenca for over 30 years. And while the government has taken steps to halt the project, locals say the fight is far from settled.

The Quick Version

Loma Larga is a gold-copper-silver deposit held by DPM Ecuador, a subsidiary of Canadian company Dundee Precious Metals. The project sits adjacent to the Quimsacocha National Recreation Area, which is part of the UNESCO Macizo del Cajas Biosphere Reserve—and critically, it overlaps with the páramo wetlands that feed Cuenca's drinking water supply.

In October 2025, the government revoked the project's environmental license, citing technical reports from ETAPA (Cuenca's water utility) and the Prefectura del Azuay that flagged risks of mine waste contamination to water sources. That came after more than 100,000 people marched through Cuenca on September 16 demanding the project be stopped.

So It's Over?

Not exactly. The environmental license is gone, but the mining concession itself remains active. That distinction matters.

In December, the issue flared up again when Vice Minister of Mines Xavier Subía presented projections at a mining industry conference in Quito that included Loma Larga as a producing project by 2027. The backlash was immediate.

The Cabildo Popular por el Agua de Cuenca accused the government of contradicting President Noboa's own public statements that the project would not proceed. Subía resigned on December 16.

Hours later, Environment and Energy Minister Inés Manzano confirmed the resignation and stated: "The government is not moving toward exploitation of the Loma Larga concession." She added that the Vice Ministry of Mines is undergoing restructuring.

What Cuenca's Leaders Are Saying

Cuenca's mayor, Cristian Zamora, responded the same evening with a demand for "total reversion of the mining concession"—meaning not just a suspended license, but a complete cancellation of DPM Ecuador's rights to the deposit.

Opposition groups share that view. They argue that as long as the concession exists, any future government could simply issue a new environmental license and restart the project. They want the concession revoked and the results of the 2021 popular consultation—in which Cuenca voters rejected large-scale metallic mining in water recharge zones—to be legally binding and permanent.

Several organizations have warned they are prepared to reactivate the massive mobilization known as "el quinto río de Cuenca" (the fifth river of Cuenca) if the government does not revoke the concession outright.

Why Expats Should Care

This isn't abstract environmental politics. It's about the water that comes out of your tap.

ETAPA's technical reports concluded that mine waste from Loma Larga posed widespread potential risks of water contamination. The páramo ecosystem at Quimsacocha—the name means "three lagoons" in Kichwa—functions as a natural water storage and filtration system. Cuenca's four rivers originate in these highland wetlands.

If you were here during the 2024 drought and power outages, you already know how vulnerable the city's water and energy systems are. The stakes around protecting these water sources are not theoretical.

Where Things Stand Now

• Environmental license: Revoked (October 2025)
• Mining concession: Still active
• Vice minister who promoted the project: Resigned (December 2025)
• Government position: Says it won't exploit Loma Larga
• Opposition demand: Full revocation of the mining concession
• Legal backstop: 2021 popular consultation results

This story will continue to develop. The core question remains unanswered: will the government formally cancel the concession, or leave the door open for a future administration to revisit?

Sources: El Universo, El Diario, Primicias, Prensa Latina, KCH FM