Loire
On 18 August 1999, heavy fuel leaking from the storage tank of a
car parts factory reached the Loire through the rain drainage network.
The company involved estimated the spilled quantity at three cubic
metres. It resorted to specialized companies (one of which called
upon two experts from Cedre) with a view to cleaning the polluted
areas and to recovering the fuel spilled in the river.
A
filtering boom, made from a wire fence, branches and straw, was
set up downstream to trap the pollutant and to allow water to flow
normally. A barricade was built upstream to control the current
and water level, thus facilitating the passage and the cleaning
of the banks.
The
clean-up operation was carried out by directly pumping the pollutant
trapped by vegetation and rinsing was carried out using fire hoses.
The efficient and environment-friendly operation allowed the recovery
of 15 cubic metres of fuel in three days, revealing a sharp underestimation
of the quantity spilled.
The
operation was interrupted on 25 August by the administrative authorities
(the Prefecture Maritime) and the factory was forced to close the
cleaning site due to pressure from the media, and from fishing and
environmental associations. Two mechanical shovels continued to
excavate the upper sediment layer and the banks that were still
polluted until 27 August.
Name: Loire
Date: 18 August 1999
Location: France
Quantity transported: 31,000 tonnes
Type of pollutant: heavy fuel oil
Quantity spilled: 3 m³
Type of structure: factory
Pollution in the Loire river. Source: Cedre.
Last update: June 2011