Cremona, a former refinery continues to pollute but no one cares

The former Tamoil refinery in Cremona, located along the Po embankment, is continuing to pollute.This is reported by the data presented by Rowing Club Leonida Bissolati, a sports club whose headquarters are located right next to the industrial settlement.The latter, until about ten years ago, refined crude oil, but has now been converted into a storage facility.Yet, despite the conversion, it has been proven that the plant is still polluting the surrounding land and, consequently, the underlying water table.Analyzes conducted on soil samples taken in the last two months have in fact highlighted that there is still the presence of supernatant, that is, the component of the fossil hydrocarbon that does not mix with water.«This is serious – he underlined Maurizio Segalini, president of the sports club - because it goes against all the theories of Tamoil and the city institutions who claim that they are removing the pollution caused from 2007 to 2011."In particular - explained Gianni Porto, the geologist who conducted the analyzes - "an abundant presence of supernatant floating above the aquifer" was detected.Groundwater is therefore widely polluted "with levels well above legal limits".

In other words, what is taking place is a real environmental disaster, however, one that has not been adequately addressed neither at a media nor political level.Suffice it to say that, compared to the legal threshold of total hydrocarbons of 350 micrograms per litre, the value of 16,650 was reached in the first sampling point, 6,000,000 in the second and 295,000 in the third.This can only mean one thing:the hydraulic barrier installed specifically to stem the contamination phenomenon does not work and therefore pollution has never stopped.In fact, the story has distant roots.In 2018, after exhausting citizen battles, the Court of Cassation confirmed the ruling of the Court of Appeal which had recognized the responsibility of the sole CEO of Tamoil, Enrico Gilberti, sentenced to 3 years for aggravated negligent environmental disaster.The latest judicial events date back to last June, when the Cremona prosecutor's office requested the dismissal of two complaints which claimed that Tamoil continued to pollute the areas outside the former refinery.One was put forward by Legambiente, the other by Gino Ruggeri, a member of the radical party who had been a civil party in the first instance trial.

Last but not least, there is the civil lawsuit brought by the Municipality of Cremona against Tamoil to obtain compensation for the environmental disaster.Case that ended a few days ago with an agreement between the parties:a total compensation of less than 2.5 million, when the Municipality had asked for 40 million.An agreement heralded by the administration as a victory, but which does not convince the associations and other interested parties.«When you are faced with compensation that is less than 10% of the sum originally requested, there are two cases – declared an opposition political exponent – ​​or the estimate of the damages requested is the result of a superficial evaluation unrelated to elements effective, or we are faced with a sensational flop that the administration wants to cover up with its propaganda."For its part, Tamoil appeared in court defining the environmental disaster as “contained” and denying that there had been any damage to the city's image.While, in relation to the new data presented by Bissolati, the company has chosen not to release statements.

[by Simone Valeri]