Germany: Pungent slurry leak floods lake, streams near Essen
February 22, 2023
The stink of excrement hung over parts of Germany's western city of Essen after around two million liters of liquid manure leaked into two streams and a lake.
The incident took place on a farm in the town of Velbert south of Essen on Monday evening.
The slurry made its way to the picturesque Lake Baldeney, which lies on the city's southern border along the Ruhr river.
How did the accident occur?
A defective seal on a liquid manure container in Velbert is believed to be the cause. A farmer on site was already pumping out the slipping slurry when the fire department arrived.
Some of the manure made it to streams which led to the Ruhr, an important tributary of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The streams are currently full of water, which made the slurry flow faster, but also diluted it to lessen the impact.
The Mettmann Environmental Agency declared an environmental alert on Monday evening, German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) reported. However, authorities said drinking water supply was unaffected.
Some dead fish nevertheless were discovered in the contaminated areas.
Workers carried on the cleanup operation on Tuesday.
rmt/ar (dpa, WDR)