Several hectares of fields and rivers in the Yvelines department have been affected by a leakage of oil on the pipeline of the Île-de-France, have announced Total and the prefecture of the Yvelines this Monday. Long of 268 kilometers, this pipeline mainly carries crude oil from the port of le Havre and the refinery of Grandpuits (Seine-et-Marne). “Sunday evening, around 22h35, an alarm of pressure drop on the pipeline of the Île-de-France (PLIF) is triggered on the stretch of road between the filing of Gargenville (Yvelines) at the refinery of Grandpuits”, said Total. “The presence of crude oil has been found in a field”, adds the company.
According to the prefecture, between four and seven hectares are concerned, to Autouillet. The force,, is a state of nine to twelve hectares affected. “There are ways of pumping on site. But no product is flowing, the pipeline is not under pressure, and the more large-thing escapes from it,” said the director of cabinet of the prefect, Thierry Laurent. He adds that, “several months of operation will be necessary to excavate the pipeline”. In fact, it is buried under the ground, it is thus necessary to build ditches around polluted areas to achieve the cleaning operation.
Total active its crisis unit, the two farmers concerned
The prefecture of the Yvelines department believes that in the long term it may be necessary to dig over the whole of the polluted lands, belonging to two farmers of Boissy-sans-Have. “The damage is significant, but localized. It is Total who will be in charge of all operations, under the control of the State services and Management of Regional and Interdepartmental Environment and Energy (DRIEE),” says Thierry Laurent.
For its part, Total has announced that the crisis unit and “the monitoring plan and intervention” have been activated. “Investigations are ongoing to determine the origins of the leak,” says the oil company. The firemen of the cell, emission control, constables, and officers of the Unit department of the DRIEE are on-site, according to a preliminary stock of the situation made by the prefecture. “The perimeter around the area was secured, dams were installed in the rus around the field, pumping trucks are at work to recover the hydrocarbons and construction equipment are dispatched on the spot to remove the affected land,” said Total in a second situation, in the end of the day. The group apologised to residents for the inconvenience caused by this incident and wishes to ensure that it will support the reclamation of the land affected.” In 2014, a leak on the same pipeline, in Normandy, was declared.
