Officials from the Water Management Authority (AGE), the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), and the French authorities went to the scene and confirmed the presence of fuel oil in the area. They were quickly able to determine that the pollution was coming from sewers on the French side of the border, and that the pollutants had made their way to the Emerange wastewater treatment plant.
The sewage plant’s oxygenation was adjusted to mitigate the effects of oil contamination as much as possible.
The staff of the Intercommunal Syndicate for the Treatment of Wastewater in the East (SIDEST) and the CGDIS succeeded in installing four dams, which stopped pollution at the treatment plant and thereby prevented pollutants from flowing into the Gander stream.
The Water Management Authority collected water samples at various locations. The international Moselle-Saar warning and alert plan was activated.
The French authorities have launched an investigation to determine the precise origin of the pollution.
