ZAGREB, April 13, 2018 - The Crodux oil company, at a press conference in Zagreb on Friday, dismissed responsibility for water pollution in the eastern town of Slavonski Brod, saying it was not possible that the petrol spill could have reached water wells and water pipes 48 hours after a leak in the oil pipeline.
The company rejected all insinuation and incorrect information in the media that tens of thousands of litres of oil had been transported from the area after the incident and that the repair work had been carried out irresponsibly and against the rules.
The company denied claims that it had tried to cover up the leak, saying that authorities had been promptly notified and were already at the site half an hour after the incident. It stressed that the repair work had been done professionally and safely, without causing harm to people, property and the environment, and that this was documented.
Crodux said that the cause of the leak was damage to the pipe that was several decades old. The leak occurred on March 28 in an area where the soil is clay, 2.6 kilometres away from the nearest water well, and the company claims there is no way that the pollutant could have affected the Jelas water supply plant within 48 hours. Inspectors identified the pollutant that leaked out of the pipeline as motor petrol containing 2.7 percent of benzene, which was not found in any of the water samples, Crodux said.
Hydrogeologist Darko Mayer said that the pollution came from under the ground, adding that it appeared suddenly and disappeared suddenly.
The company said it had taken legal action to prove its innocence.
