January 26, 2018 - Cerro Verde is located in an arid region of southwestern Peru, close to the city of Arequipa. Population growth, industrialization, and sewage contamination of the river Chili were increasing pressures on an already limited water supply. Recognizing this, Freeport-McMoRan worked with local stakeholders to co-finance a water treatment plant that takes contaminated water from the local river and makes it drinkable.