Lake Bracciano disaster – Regional manager: “Limit of 161.90”, The committee: “No to new collections”

Civitavecchia – The trial of eight defendants resumes – It will return to the courtroom in May and June

Civitavecchia – (sil.co.) – Lake Bracciano dry in the summer of 2017, the environmental disaster trial resumed on March 22nd before the Civitavecchia court, involving eight defendants, namely the then members of the board of directors of Acea Ato 2 including the former president of Talete, Andrea Bossola. In May it will be the turn of the engineer Alessandro Piotti, while the testimony of the judicial police operators who handled the investigations is expected in June.

Lake Bracciano dry in 2017 – In the box: Andrea Bossola

After the postponement in February, last month Mauro Lasagna, head of the regional water resources, soil protection and waste management at the time of the events, was heard as a witness.

Questioned by the public prosecutor Delio Spagnolo, Lasagna reconstructed those days by recalling the process that led to the decision to issue orders to stop the catchment, orders which were then unsuccessfully challenged both before the superior court of public waters and in cassation. We also remembered the limit set by the original project of 161.90 meters above sea level, below which it would not have been possible to go as was done.

“Regarding Acea Ato 2’s attempt to return to withdrawing water from Lake Bracciano – we read in the press release issued by the Committee for the defense of the Bracciano Martignano lake basin – the committee sent on 14 March 2024, through its lawyers, Francesco Falconi and Simone Calvigioni, a warning to the public prosecutor’s office at the court of Civitavecchia, to the Lazio Region, Acea/ AceaAto2 spa, to the territorial office of the government of Rome, to the ministry of the environment and protection of land and sea, to the municipalities of Anguillara Sabazia, Bracciano and Trevignano Romano, to the Bracciano-Martignano regional natural park and to the Lago di Bracciano consortium for ‘inhibition/non-authorisation of Acea Ato 2 spa collections’”.

According to the committee “any attempt to resume collections must be rejected. Rather, investments should be urged for the modernization and adaptation of the Cobis sewage system and the implementation of feasibility studies for a project that allows the last-stage purified water to be returned to the lake which today instead is discharged into the Arrone and therefore to the sea”.

“What happened, moreover, has created a very serious inconvenience for professional fishermen who, only after many years, also thanks to the recent exemption issued by the Lazio Region for the introduction of whitefish, considered a non-native species, are recovering from an economic crisis without precedents”, is finally underlined.

Presumption of innocence

In the Italian criminal system the presumption of innocence applies until the final sentence. Presumption of innocence which is based on article 27 of the Italian constitution according to which a person “is not considered guilty until finally convicted”.

April 23, 2024