Environment Several hundred fish died due to polluted stream in Ruswil
The liquid manure spilled in Ruswil LU on Wednesday cost the lives of several hundred fish and microorganisms in the Bielbach stream. An exact calculation of the damage is still pending.
26.07.2024, 10:11
SDA
The liquid manure was not only washed into the Bielbach, but also into the downstream waters as far as the Kleine Emme, as the Lucerne police reported on Thursday. "Liquid manure dilutes relatively quickly," Olivier Menz, cantonal fisheries inspector, told Keystone-SDA on Friday. Although this is still not ideal for aquatic life, it is no longer lethal.
The fisheries department of the Agriculture and Forestry Service is not taking any measures to normalize the water conditions. "Nature is best able to regulate itself," says Menz. He also considers the relocation of farmed fish into the Bielbach to be of little value. This is because the fish - for example the Bielbach brown trout - are genetically best able to cope with the local environment. "Nature produces the healthiest fish."
On Wednesday morning, acidification and foaming of the biomass occurred in a silo at a biogas plant. As a result, liquid manure leaked out and flowed onto the adjacent maize field and into a drainage shaft. It finally reached the water via a drain. It is still unclear how this happened, said Christian Bertschi, media spokesman for the Lucerne police, when asked by Keystone-SDA on Friday. Investigations are ongoing.
