An official statement released by Goodyear has claimed that an oil leak found in the Attert river last Thursday was the result of a crack in the line at its Tyre Plant in Colmar-Berg.
The news arrived following Secretary of State Camille Gira's public demand that Goodyear provide information on the cause and consequences of the oil leak. Although members of the public were advised against consuming river fish found downstream of the spill, analysis of the oil has now reportedly determined that it is biodegradable and non-hazardous to the environment.
Goodyear states that after the cause was determined to be a crack in a line, and that the machine was consequently stopped immediately, with several water barriers established in a three-kilometre radius to contain the surface oil.
The company claimed that it had begun working with authorities to implement additional measures since Saturday, with extra barriers installed inside the tyre plant channel system and cleaning procedures starts. Goodyear claimed that "shortly afterwards only very small quantities of diluted oil were detected by the onsite team", and refuted allegations that the oil could present a risk to the environment.
The tyre manufacturer reassured that barriers inside and outside of the plant would prevent downstream transfer, avoiding further risk to the connected river system, and stated that an investigation is ongoing.
Photo by Police Grand Ducale
