Hundreds of litres of water polluted in Plan-de-Cuques: used car oil was illegally dumped into the Jarret

A river polluted due to an illegal dumping of used oil in Bouches-du-Rhône (illustration image). MAXPPP – James Hardy

A pumping company was mobilized in Plan-de-Cuques for water contaminated by oil in the Jarret, this Wednesday, August 21, 2024. A total of 80 m2 were polluted in the Bocage park.

Plan-de-Cuques' biodiversity is in danger. In the Jarret, a dog returned to its master, black with oil. A person poured liters of used car oil into the stream, reveals La Provence.

A company responsible for cleaning the area

An illegal dumping of hundreds of liters of used oil mobilized a cleaning company with three technicians on site.

This Wednesday, August 21, 2024, they pumped 8 m3 of polluted water from the Bouches-du-Rhône river, which runs alongside the Bocage park, a place where athletes, owners and their dogs, but also families with children go. Thus putting them all in danger.

Environmental damage

The oil spill occurred on Monday evening, August 19, according to the city hall services. It was Jean Michel who raised the alarm, after a walk with his dog Max, who came out of the black and smelly stream. "When I saw that his hair had changed color and that he smelled bad, I immediately notified the Plan-de-Cuques town hall", he explained.

Laurent Simon – mayor of the town – declares "to have good clues" as to the identity of the culprit. He faces one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 for the crime of damaging the environment, since the biodiversity of the park and its surroundings is endangered by the presence of this oil.