Cologne (dpa / lnw) - Water from the chemical park in Leverkusen that is contaminated with toluene and carbon compounds is to be fed into the Rhine via a sewage treatment plant. The Cologne district government announced this on Friday evening.
Some of the extinguishing water and "incident water" retained in the waste water tanks when a waste tank exploded last year had already been disposed of in the sewage treatment plant after being pre-treated in a special cleaning plant.
There are currently three waste waters to be discharged via the sewage treatment plant into the Rhine: 30 cubic meters of waste water contaminated with toluene from a case of damage, 2400 cubic meters of waste water contaminated with carbon compounds and 3300 cubic meters of waste water from a precipitation and cooling water canal, which due to an irregular turbidity was retained.
The waste water was examined and evaluated for its ingredients and toxic effects. As a result, "no additional pollution of the water body is to be expected if the tank contents are discharged into the Rhine via the sewage treatment plant". As a result, a discharge permit was issued with the participation of the Ministry of the Environment.
The contents of the tank should not be discharged into the sewage treatment plant at the same time, but rather one after the other. Volume control ensures that the "target values" specific to drinking water in the Rhine are complied with.
The international main warning center for monitoring the Rhine and the waterworks operators would be informed. The discharge is monitored at the outlet of the sewage treatment plant and in the Rhine by official sampling. The district government could not be reached for questions in the evening. Drinking water for the neighboring towns is obtained from the Rhine via bank filtrate.
