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Wathlingen (dpa / lni) - In the dispute over the rehabilitation of a former mine in Wathlingen in the district of Celle, the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology has stopped the approval process for the time being.
A spokesman for the state office said on Thursday that the concerns of citizens' initiatives are about old weapons from the Second World War.
Essential points of the procedure would be put to the test, this affects not only the contaminated sites but also the groundwater and the pollution of road traffic.
K + S AG shut down the mine in 1997, and it has been flooded since 2007 to prevent the threat of daybreak.
According to the information, a cover has been applied for in order to make the heap usable again.
Flooding and covering are tried and tested measures.
Nevertheless: "It is important that we as the supervisory authority take up the concerns and concerns of residents, local authorities and local politics, review our previous evaluations with a view to new developments and then also create transparency," said State Office President Carsten Mühlenmeier.
Before that one will «not make any final decisions».
According to the information, the mine is flooded with salty water because it does not attack the mine building.
K + S applied to bring salty water by truck.
Regarding the old armaments stored in the mine, it was determined in 2006 "after a thorough review" that they do not pose any risk to the groundwater, for example.
Because the contaminated sites are stored in a part of the mine that has not yet been flooded, this is checked again.
According to earlier information, around 2000 grenades and around 60 tons of chemical warfare agents are stored there.
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The dump is said to be covered with clay, building rubble and humus so that it can then be greened so that rainwater does not wash out salt.
In view of the concerns about the groundwater, further exploration and monitoring are planned.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210325-99-969011 / 3