A court in Strasbourg authorised the permanent containment of toxic waste from a former mine in eastern France, siding with the state against appeals lodged by local officials and residents concerned about the environmental impact
The court ruled that the removal of the 42,000 tons of toxic waste (cyanide, arsenic, mercury among others.) stored at Stocamine, a former potash mine located in Wittelsheim, can no longer be carried out safely, mainly due to the deterioration of the site's infrastructure.
The court stated in its ruling that permanent containment "now represents, given the best available techniques, the measure most likely to preserve the water resource and, consequently, the right of future generations to meet their own needs."
This solution involves building concrete barriers around the waste-containing blocks and backfilling the shafts that provide access to them in order to ensure watertightness.
The ruling may be appealed within two months. It marks a new chapter in the long-standing standoff between environmental activists and the French government, which had extended indefinitely what was initially a temporary storage authorisation.
The Potash Mines of Alsace company (MDPA), which manages the site and is 100 percent state-owned, has since begun a large-scale project to pour concrete barriers in the underground tunnels.
Water table at risk
The government's decision and the ensuing work have sparked opposition in Alsace, a region in northeastern France.
Some officials, local residents, and organisations fear that keeping the waste buried underground, even under concrete, could eventually contaminate the Alsace groundwater table, which supplies drinking water to millions of people.
Their concern lies in the condition of the mine, which they argue is too degraded to prevent water infiltration – something that, upon contact with the toxic waste, could end up polluting the aquifer despite the presence of the concrete barriers.
(with AFP)
