Dead fish: Angry anglers may seek legal action

(ADW) After the discovery of thousands of dead fish in the river Sûre recently, the Administration of Water Management and firefighters have been pumping water in order to maintain a safe level sufficient for the survival of fish.

However, Wednesday morning the decision was taken to stop this action as this safe level was thought to have been reached. Not so, according to the Luxembourg Federation of anglers who are now considering filing an official complaint.

Repairs to Rosport power plant to blame

The level of the River Sûre dropped in recent days due to repairs at the electricity power station “Société Electrique de l'Our” (SEO) in Rosport.

On Monday, the level had already dropped by 60 centimetres in the secondary branch of the Sûre located in Steinheim. Several attempts were made to prevent fish from dying: catching them with nets, building a dam, and several other methods, but nothing helped resulting in the death of thousands of fish. By Tuesday afternoon the level had dropped by two meters.

German teams help out

On Tuesday evening reinforcements from Germany arrived to help tackle the crisis. Three teams supplied two extra mobile pumps. Apparently their late arrival at the disaster-struck Sûre was due to a communications issue, and should have normally been at the scene on Tuesday afternoon.

Thousands of fish died in the river according to the Luxembourg Federation of Anglers (FLPS). The organisation plans to launch legal proceedings and believes that measures to compensate for the harm caused to the flora and fauna will be essential.

MP's want to know more

On Wednesday, MPs Henri Kox (Déi Gréng) and Marc Spautz (CSV) both asked parliamentary questions in order to shed light on the affair.