2023-10-02 14:23:44
The Haut-Rhin prefecture has authorized, by prefectural decree, the “unlimited” extension of the storage of 42,000 tonnes of hazardous waste at Stocamine. This decision comes despite opposition from elected officials and the local population; it paves the way for the confinement of waste under concrete.
The decree was signed Thursday by prefect Thierry Queffélec. The storage of waste (mercury, asbestos, arsenic, etc.) in this former potash mine located in Wittelsheim was initially presented as “reversible” and authorized in 1997 for a period of 30 years. The company MDPA (Mines de Potasse d’Alsace), which manages the site and of which the State is the sole shareholder, is therefore preparing to relaunch work aimed at confining all of the waste under the concrete. The construction of the first dams was suspended in 2022 by administrative justice after a complaint from the environmental association Alsace Nature.
98% opposed to this solution
The project must last 42 months, according to the prefectural decree. “The public contracts have been signed and had been suspended. We have relaunched our service providers, they have one month to mobilize personnel and equipment,” indicated MDPA. “This is an unprecedented project, the installations are aging, in a mine that closes in on itself, there could be many hazards. »
This prefectural decree and the upcoming project must mark the end of 20 years of procrastination. Since the fire of a block of waste, supposed to be non-flammable, in September 2002, the course of action to be taken at Stocamine has been the subject of numerous political hesitations, between the scenario of removing the waste, which is technically difficult to achieve , and that of definitive confinement, contested for the risks of pollution that it generates on the water table of Alsace, the largest in Europe.
According to the prefectural decree, confinement “will have the effect of delaying over a very long period this possible rise of dangerous substances from storage towards the Alsace water table”. This rise of “contaminated brine” would be limited “to 0.7 m³/year”, a quantity ensuring “effective protection of the water table”, affirms the prefecture.
The project nevertheless arouses strong local opposition, and the prefectural decree could be contested before the administrative judge. In the spring, a public survey received 98% of opinions unfavorable to waste containment. “Opinions favorable to the project can be counted on the fingers of one hand,” noted the investigation report. The three prior consultations, in 2010-2011, 2013-2014 and 2016, also received mostly unfavorable opinions.
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