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ERIC PIERMONT / AFP

It was a November morning, in 2017. The boss of Gaule Vitréenne, a major fishing association in Ille-et-Vilaine, had just been alerted to the sudden death of hundreds of fish in the Valière, a course of water tributary of the Vilaine.

Over three kilometers, the entire aquatic environment had been ravaged.

Soon enough, the investigations had led to the La Billerie drinking water production plant, then managed by Veolia on behalf of the mixed union of Waters of Valière (Symeval).

An overflow of lime milk used to treat the water had prevented the wash basins from playing their role.

A sensor should have alerted the operator, but the operator had failed.

A little less than three years after the facts, the company Veolia will have to explain itself to the criminal court of Rennes.

An appearance hearing on prior admission of guilt (CRPC) will be held this Thursday at the judicial district.

“Everything was dead.

Eels, pike, carp, tench… ”recalls Daniel Gandon.

The president of Gaul Vitréenne hopes that Veolia "will recognize its responsibilities" and present the work it had promised to carry out after the accident.

“We were promised investments.

All we ask is that this does not happen again ”.

When contacted, the company did not respond to our request.

"We thought we were going to kill the river"

Since this accident, the Valière has again been affected by a serious episode of pollution.

In 2018, 15,000 liters of fresh cream spilled into the waterway.

The investigators then leaned for an act of vandalism.

Individuals had probably opened the cap of a tanker truck parked nearby.

“It saddens me.

We thought we were going to kill the river, ”regrets Daniel Gandon.

Since then, his association has released several fish so that the aquatic environment can regenerate.

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