Gardanne: justice orders Altéo to be up to standard two years before the deadline

The aluminum plant had until 2021 to bring its liquid residues discharged into the sea into the norms, in full park of the creeks. Following an appeal filed by badociations and individuals, the Marseille Administrative Court rendered its decision. It reduces by two years the time granted to Altéo for its up to standards. The aluminum plant must have found a solution for its discharges and applied it by the end of 2019.
The court also ordered a new impact investigation on "hazard badessment and environmental and sanitary disadvantages of the Gardanne alumina plant and waste storage facilities "at the Mange-Garri site. This site is located in Bouc-Bel-Air, and contains in the open air the solid residues of red mud that have not been dumped at sea since 2016.

"Uncertainties" on the environmental impact

To justify its decision, the court puts forward in a communiqué "the existence of residual technical uncertainties as to the long-term environmental and health impact of substances discharged into the Mediterranean Sea for which the derogation was granted ".
As for the Mange-Garri site and the Gardanne factory itself, the court enjoins the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône to ask Alteo "to complete the impact study and then (…) to carry out a new public consultation (…) with a view, if necessary, to the adoption of a prefectural decree
On the other hand, the administrative court did not annul the prefectural decree which granted a concession of use of the public maritime domain for the pipes allowing the rejection at sea of ​​the liquid effluents of the factory. alum ine.

Alteo's latest solutions

The Alteo factory, which for 50 years dumped toxic "red mud" in the heart of the creeks between Marseille and Cbadis, had obtained the authorization at the end of 2015 to continue its activity in exchange for "substantial changes" in the operation of this alumina manufacturing site which employs 450 people.
The world leader in specialty aluminas, which has since ceased discharging its solid waste at sea In return, it obtained a six-year derogation to bring its liquid discharges up to standard, much to the chagrin of the inhabitants and the environmental badociations.
This week, the Altéo factory had presented its very last solution in view of reduce arsenic and aluminum levels. After successful tests, the experiment was to be applied next year on an industrial scale.