Environmental scandal am Wörthsee: Authorities in criticism after oil accident

Environmental scandal am Wörthsee: Authorities in criticism after oil accident

On July 23 this year, oil-containing waste water flowed into the picturesque Wörthsee, which led the surrounding environmentalists and the chairman of the BUND-NATURKUNKRUND group Starnberg, Günter Schorn, to a sharp criticism of the responsible authorities. Schorn expressed his concerns in an open letter and accused the authorities of trivializing and covering up the seriousness of the incident. The details of the incident throw a shadow on those responsible and their measures to solve the problem.

In the center of the controversy there is an accident that took place during cleaning work on the oil separator in the Wörthsee municipality's building yard. Oil -containing wastewater came to the Auinger Bach and Subsquently in the Wörthsee. The procedure of the responsible authorities, which were immediately built and were present on site, was rated by the initiative for Biodiversity in Wörthsee as inadequate from the start.

criticism of the authorities and refuting the allegations

Günter Schorn, who represents the concerned voice of many environmentalists, particularly criticizes that the authorities do not involve any expert in order to appreciate the situation appropriately. The district office, on the other hand, replied that several experts from the water management office and the responsible specialist office were present to clarify the situation. It is argued that the exact determination of the amount of oil -containing waste water was not only not possible, but also not necessary to ensure water protection. According to the authorities, it is only a maximum of 40 liters of oil -containing wastewater and not old oil, which significantly reduces the risk of a severe environmental disaster.

Important details about the measures were also discussed. The oil barriers and binders were regularly checked by official experts and renewed as necessary. Schorn claimed that the brook edge was treated using a "high-pressure firefighting hose", which would indicate improper handling. This contradicts the district office, which states that a conventional spray with only minimal water pressure was used.

A central argument from Schorn was that there should be a dangerous oil sludge on the water floor. However, the authorities soothe the residents: there is supposedly no dangerous oil sludge, since the oil that has been collected on the oil barriers is surface -active, which means that it does not settle in the water sole. In his opinion, suctioning the water floor would not be proportionate and could cause more damage than it would be.

In addition, the district office informed about the results of a new location on August 28, in which the drawing samples were taken. These visits have shown that there are no dangerous contamination in the Wörthsee. No oil streaks or other contaminating substances were found, and the state of health of the water appears stable. Despite the careful measures for water security, which also included signs and barriers, the topic remains controversial among residents and conservationists.

The discussion about dealing with the environment and the authorities leads to a differentiated consideration of responsibility, in particular to clarify who has to pay for the costs of the necessary renovation measures. The district office has made it clear that the person who is responsible for the incident must also bear the costs for the fire brigade's operational measures.

Overall, this incident reflects the tensions between nature conservation and administrative processes. While the authorities assure several times that there was no serious risk to the environment or human health, the concern for dealing with such incidents is high among local environmentalists. It remains to be seen which long -term consequences these controversy will have for the parties involved.