Environmental pollution Diesel flows into the Thur near Ebnat-Kappel SG

On Wednesday morning, several hundred liters of diesel leaked from a tank on a tractor in Ebnat-Kappel. Drinking water is not at risk.

A 30-year-old man was driving a tractor with a loaded diesel tank on Haldenstrasse. When he drove into an underpass, the tank fell onto the road, according to the St. Gallen cantonal police.

Around 500 liters of diesel leaked onto a paved area and then flowed through a shaft into the Leibach and from there into the Thur. The fire department set up oil barriers. The oil is on the surface of the water, which is why no dead fish have been discovered so far. However, microorganisms in the Leibach are likely to have died.

The Office for Nature, Hunting and Fishing and the Office for the Environment are now carrying out further investigations. The driver of the tractor will be charged with violating the Water Protection Act.

SDA