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The Gers mixed union, Trigone, was taken to court for having caused excess wildlife mortality in aquatic environments in 2022 in Castera-Verduzan. He was sentenced to a suspended fine of 5,000 euros.
In October 2022, in the Gers, environmental inspectors noted fish mortality at the threshold of the Tauzia mill. After physicochemical measurements, the death of these masses of fish was linked to the Castéra-Verduzan wastewater treatment plant. It was accepted that the river, the Auloue, lost its oxygen after the station. It turned out the problem was drought-related. The alleged responsible? The Gers water, waste and sanitation joint union: Trigone.
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“Discharge of harmful substance”: accused of polluting water, the Gers Trigone joint union pleads for acquittal
By discharging the usual volume of treated water into a river at very low flow, it made the water deadly to wildlife. Pursued by the courts, the president of Trigone, Francis Dupouey, assured that “all measures had been taken when pollution was reported”.
His lawyer, Me Gallardo, had also pleaded for acquittal during the hearing which was held last September. The environmental inspector, for his part, affirmed in court that the station was the cause of the death of these fish. “The operator should control its flow during low flow periods, and modify operations” he declared during the hearing. For its part, the defense had presented an “alternative presentation of the facts” maintaining that “the rate changes because there is less water”.
But in the end, justice ruled. This Monday, November 18, the court decision was rendered. The prosecution had requested a fine of €10,000. A sum to be paid which was divided by two and suspended.
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