Pollution
Humain
Environnement
Economique

In the depot of a fuel wholesaler, corrosion on the bottom of a 40-m³ tank caused 20 m³ of domestic fuel to leak into the retention basin whose drainage orifice did not contain any plugging device. The fuel spilled into the site’s stormwater drains, which had been equipped with a hydrocarbon separator (retention capacity: 300 litres), yet did not serve to prevent diesel from overflowing into the public stormwater network. The GARTEMPE River was polluted over a 20-km stretch. Firefighters set up 2 floating dams. Pumping water into the supply system was not prohibited, but swimming in the river was. A local association lodged a complaint. Inspectors for classified installation designated installation noted an array of regulatory noncompliance (retention seals, reservoir verifications, fire extinction resources) and went on to control another 40 similar depots. Many instances of operational noncompliance (seals in place within the filling zone, retention volumes, the hydrocarbon separator) were also highlighted. Administrative penalties / sanctions were requested for this case.