Following an incident which led to pollution in the Attert river, Secretary of State Camille Gira ordered emergency sanitation measures on the site and area affected.
The problems began on the evening of 14 April 2016 when an oil spill was found on the river, downstream of the Goodyear Tire Plant in Colmar-Berg. Firefighters set up blocks equipped with absorbent oil in the outlet channel leading to the Attert site and the public was warned not to consume fish caught downriver.
Following the news, Camille Gira took an initial decree on 15 April 2016 containing the basic emergency measures of the law of 19 December 2008 on water and the law of 20 April 2009 on environmental liability regarding the prevention and remedying of environmental damage.
Although Goodyear claimed that an analysis of a water sample showed that the oil was biodegradable and non-hazardous, two days after the first incident, a second wave of pollution was observed at the output of the Goodyear site. This was mainly retained in the site's output channel, where the firefighter's blocks were still set up. As a result, the Secretary of State issued Order n°1/14/0550/MD of 20 April (amended on 10 May) on the basis of the law on classified establishments.
During the implementation of the provisions of the orders, precautionary measures were taken to avoid a new discharge of polluted water into rivers, meaning that the dams and technical equipment will remain in place in the Attert at the height of the Goodyear factory.
Photo by eu2015lu (L-R): Camille Gira, Secretary of State; François Bausch, Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure
