For 50 years, the andalusite quarry had bothered almost none of the 1,400 inhabitants of Glomel (Côtes d’Armor). But the authorization of a fourth pit in June ignited the powder, the opposition denouncing pollution and a “factory of silence” maintained by the operator, Imerys.
“It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” breathes Jean-Yves Jégo, opposition municipal councilor and member of the Mines de Rien collective which is fighting against the extension of this andalusite quarry, the mineral used in industry for its resistance to very high temperatures.
One November morning, at the end of a small road shrouded in mist, Mr. Jégo faces a mountain more than 30 meters high: it is one of the three “pours” where the operator Imerys rejects the “waste materials” not recoverable.
Imerys exploits an “exceptional deposit” of Andalusite in Glomel, classified as “of national and European interest”. This site, the only one in Europe, allows this multinational established in 40 countries to meet 20% of global demand.
Only 5% of the extracted rock is sold, generating enormous quantities of waste.
“When you put a coffee bean in water, nothing happens,” explains this former goat breeder, who has lived in the town for 11 years. “On the other hand, if it is ground…”.
Man fears that the heavy metals contained in crushed waste rock, carried by rain, will pollute and acidify water and soil.
The runoff water is treated by Imerys and at the end of operation, in 2047, the pours must be waterproofed with clay and revegetated. Monitoring of the site will be ensured for at least 10 years.
But “these pours will cause pollution over hundreds of years,” warns Mr. Jégo.
Pollution has already occurred in the past: in 2013, a water recovery tank gave way at the foot of one of the pours, polluting the Crazius, a river which supplies the town with drinking water, with heavy metals.
In 1994, two drinking water plants on the Crazius were shut down for 15 days due to pollution.
– “Very worrying pollution” –
Beyond the incidents, the data revealed by the 2023 public inquiry, which issued a favorable opinion on the pit 4 project, however presumes groundwater pollution, at least between 2010 and 2021, at the foot of pit n °2 and one of the pours.
Pit No. 2 is an old quarry, 80 meters deep, which is used in particular to store the water used for the refining of andalusite.
This immense turquoise blue acidic lake is highly loaded with metals (chromium, cobalt, nickel, zinc, etc.), according to the data in the file.
The Imerys spokesperson, met by AFP on the site, defends a naturally “watertight” pit, which does not present any risks.
However, the nearby RO1 piezometer (device measuring the quality of groundwater) has high concentrations of aluminum, iron, nickel among others and a very acidic PH (around 4). Data abnormally higher than those of other piezometers on the site.
“This shows very worrying pollution,” says Armelle Renault, agronomist and cow breeder, who drink 500 meters from the RO1 piezometer. With around fifteen citizens and scientists, she wrote a report submitted to the public inquiry.
The company assures that this “anomaly” is “localized”, “punctual” and “has no impact on uses”. Four new piezometers must be installed.
The Eau et Rivières de Bretagne association, which has initiated an appeal against the prefectural authorization, points to “very serious failings” in the impact study.
– “Trust in the State” –
“I trust the State,” says Bernard Trubuilt, mayor of Glomel since 2023, in favor of Imerys in the name of preserving the 121 jobs on the site. “If pit 4 was not built, the quarry would close in seven years.”
“For decades, we might think that it polluted quite a bit,” says this native of Glomel, whose father worked in the quarry. He assures that today, Imerys “respects the standards”.
The population is “divided only in small proportions”, according to the councilor. However, it is difficult to find passers-by who want to broach the subject. “It’s very divided,” says one. “It’s taboo,” says another. In October, tags appeared on the walls of the town hall: “ImairYs”, “corruption”.
– “Make silence” –
Between 2020 and 2023, while Imerys prepares its extension request, resignations from the municipal council continue.
New elections are organized and Imerys is at the heart of the campaign. Bernard Trubuilt was elected with more than 70% of the votes.
Thierry Troël, the previous mayor, said he was “destroyed” by a “climate of lynching organized to call into question the vote”. “It is clear that Imerys took an active part in it,” he accuses, linking this episode with his refusal to grant the company a free hand at the start of his mandate.
“Imerys refutes these accusations, calling them unfounded and defamatory,” the group said in an email to AFP.
A farmer for 25 years on part of the 250 hectares of agricultural land belonging to Imerys, Mr. Troël was notified of his eviction in June, which he is contesting in court.
Armelle Renault, partner of Thierry Troël, asserts: “It’s a company that does not support debate.” “We are not anti-Imerys, we want scientific reason to prevail,” she pleads.
She emphasizes that all the scientists who participated in the writing of the dissertation requested anonymity, “as silence exists.”
For Jean-Yves Jégo too, Imerys “created a factory of silence”, a “cocktail of ignorance and economic interest”, in a poor and rural territory, which found in Imerys a provider of income.
But in Glomel, the land was never completely conquered. Since the 1970s, Louis Frault, a breeder, has been opposed to Damrec (the former operator), which he had condemned in civil court for “abnormal neighborhood disturbances”, in 2007.
He then denounced the deposits of dust on his pastures, causing, according to him, serious problems in his cattle.
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