Milan, Italy (GenevaLunch) – Urgent cleanup work is underway on the Po, Italy’s longest river and a major tributary that is important to industry and agriculture, after a massive amount of fuel and heating oil spilled into it, near Milan. Police are saying a “criminal act” lies behind the spill, with eight storage tanks tampered with at a closed storage facility that belongs to Lombarda Petroli SpA.
The fuel initially went into the Lambro River. Estimates of the amount of fuel spilled vary wildly, with the lowest talking about hundreds of thousands of litres, but a state of emergency has been declared in Lombardy as concerns grow over the potential impact on natural reserves, wildlife and crops.
Links to other sites: Bloomberg/BW, Corriere della Sera (Ita), National Geographic feature on the Po
Schumacher home in Gland
Gland, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Formula 1’s former champion Michael Schumacher, had grandiose ideas about the dock he wants to install at his new lakefront estate on the shores of Lake Geneva in Gland, according to the Tribune de Geneve, quoting Michel Cosendai of the Vaud cantonal water service. The final solution, posted for public consultation until mid-August, will allow docking space two motor boats and the option of an offshore anchor for a sailboat. One group that is likely to oppose the new construction is the Association Rives Publiques, which has been fighting for open public access to the shores of Lake Geneva. According to the Tribune, the group plans to file its opposition.
