Impianti Timpazzo, Judge: “Remediation plan must be respected, provisions not implemented”

Frost. Timpazzo’s integrated platform has long been at the center of attention, regionally and beyond. The system is among the few on the island that has actual capacity, without an imminent risk of saturation. There are several projects underway and the expansion process also remains under review, which would lead to two new tanks and a capacity estimated at around two million cubic metres. Among the steps envisaged, there is also one for making the systems more efficient. Today, a service conference was held. The position expressed by the Biviere Reserve, through its director Emilio Giudice, is very critical. He wanted to have what he believes are clear inconsistencies put on record. “It is right to point out – he explains – that once again the recovery plan is not taken into consideration. Furthermore, the Hague of 2013 included provisions which we do not know have been implemented and we cannot ignore the fact that the Timpazzo area is already a high risk area. There is an excessive concentration of impacts on the Gela river basin, contrary to what should be the protection objective”. These are all aspects that according to Giudice cannot be overlooked, neither in the case of interventions for the platform systems nor with respect to the expansion project. “The recovery plan was approved to be implemented, it is binding – he specifies – it was created to address a situation that was already an emergency. Another emergency cannot be added to the emergency. Timpazzo had to be made safe after the CD tank was saturated. Instead, we proceeded with a new tank and to make matters worse, the project for a further expansion is under evaluation. This site, over time, has received more contributions than its original capacity envisaged. The CD tank has reached saturation and I believe the same could happen for the E tank, well before the initial estimates”. Giudice wanted everything to be recorded. He also recalls EU directive 60 of 2000 aimed “at significantly reducing the pollution of groundwater and protecting territorial and marine waters”, especially with respect to the situation of the Gela river basin, around which more environmental impacts are concentrated.