Chile approves lithium miner SQM's plan to remedy water violChile approves lithium miner SQM's plan to remedy water violations Jan. 7, 2019 2:15 PM ET|By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor Chiles environmental regulator approves a $25M compliance plan by SQM (SQM +1.1%), ending a multi-year investigation by government authorities that found the lithium miner had overdrawn lithium-rich brine from the Atacama salt flat. The 18-month remediation plan includes a new online system to monitor SQMs extraction rates of both brine and fresh water from beneath Atacama, which supplies more than a third of the world's lithium supply. SQM also agrees to reduce its extraction of brine by more than regulators say it drew in excess of its permits, to compensate for the infraction.