Blankenburg (dpa/sa) – The oily substance discovered last week in the Rappbode dam in the Harz Mountains is only a minor contamination. It was a liquid such as diesel fuel, heating oil or lubricating oil, said a spokeswoman for the Elbaue-Ostharz remote water supply on Wednesday.
The substance floating on the surface of the reservoir was discovered last week during inspection work and was quickly contained near the shore using floating barriers. The withdrawal of water for drinking water treatment was never endangered, it said. Around a million people in Central Germany get their drinking water from the Rappbodetalsperre. The origin and cause of the contamination are unknown.
