Environmental alarm

Involuntary “foam party” on the Leitha

What exactly caused the foam formation is not yet known.(Bild: Ch)

There was a lot going on at the Leitha in Bruckneudorf on Wednesday. This time it wasn't flood water that called the fire department to the scene, but foam. Apparently someone had illegally dumped something into the water. 

An observant walker had noticed the foam near the power station in Bruckneudorf and raised the alarm. Environmental councillor Bernhard Schütz and photographer Christian Zenger set off to investigate and document the scene.

Then the story began to unfold. Department 5, public water resources and the Neusiedl am See district authority were informed, the Bruckneudorf fire department and subsequently the Neusiedl pollutant train were notified. Samples were then taken at several points along the Leitha.

Samples were taken.(Bild: Christian Zenger)

(Bild: Christian)

It is clear that someone had probably poured a cleaning agent into the water. The fire department set up an oil barrier to put an end to the involuntary foam party.

"However, as the Leitha is currently being diverted to lower the water level, it is also possible that the cleaning agent came from the Aubach," explained Mayor Gerhard Dreiszker. This in turn called the authorities in Lower Austria onto the scene. The district authority and the police in Bruck an der Leitha were alerted.

What is also clear, however, is that if the concentration of the agent in the water in Bruckneudorf was still high enough to produce a man-sized amount of foam, then a lot of cleaning agent got into the water.

"There are no results yet," says Ulrike Zschech, head of the district of Neusiedl. "The foam is decreasing, and on Friday there will be another inspection together with our Lower Austrian colleagues to find the source." The samples will probably reveal exactly what it was in the coming days.