If the incident is not contained, the pollution will eventually also affect the Moselle upriver in Luxembourg and Germany. On Sunday, emergency service teams were thus deployed to Rettel, just north of Thionville, to identify the source of the spill.
On Monday, the Moselle Prefecture confirmed that the origin of the problem has been identified. Analyses showed that the spill most likely came from the sewage system of the Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant. Authorities have since been working at the very source of the issue, while ‘absorbing barricades’ were set up to limit further pollution.
The Moselle Prefecture underlines that at this stage, no dying fish have been discovered and that the spill will not have consequences on drinking water or shipping. On Sunday, Cattenom Mayor Bernard Zenner did however express discomfort over the idea that the spill could reach Luxembourg and Germany.
The Cattenom site is a major nuclear power plant located just 15 kilometres from the border with Luxembourg. Earlier this month, it was revealed that one reactor will be taken offline due to corrosion.
