The theft of a pipe in Vilanova del Camí (Barcelona) has caused 20,000 liters of diesel to be spilled into the Anoia River, which may have affected the quality of the water in the municipalities of the area, although not that intended for consumption by the population.
According to Civil Protection, the spill was detected this morning in Vilanova del Camí and the incident was reported to the Catalan Water Agency (ACA). According to the Rural Agents, the spill affects about 4.6 kilometers of the river between Vilanova del Camí and La Pobla de Claramunt, and the diesel flows over the surface without any dead parts or effects on the fauna being found.
As a result of the spill, the water quality of the Anoia river as it passes through Vilanova del Camí, as well as the nearby municipalities of La Pobla de Claramunt, La Torre de Claramunt and Vallbona d’Anoia, may have been affected. However, the spill has not reached the population’s consumption network in the affected municipalities, says Civil Protection.
The Catalan Water Agency (ACA) has placed floating barriers in the Anoia River near Pobla de Claramunt to prevent the spill from moving. ACA sources consulted by Europa Press have detailed that the barriers are made of a floating material to contain the hydrocarbon, which is on the surface with a thin layer that does not mix with the water, and will be removed when their technicians consider that there is no risk of further spillage.
The spill occurred in a company in the Els Plans d’Arau Industrial Park dedicated to industrial supplies, and the ACA and Civil Protection of the Generalitat have specified that the spill affects the river water but not the consumption network. During this Monday, ACA inspectors and members of the Rural Agents are reviewing the area to assess damages and two teams of the Generalitat Firefighters have also intervened, while the Mossos d’Esquadra have an open investigation into the theft of copper in the company as the main hypothesis.
