Waste Oils Limited has concluded that it cannot provide a rational explanation for the black effluent being discharged into the sea at Ricasoli witnessed by Times of Malta.
The company committed to investigating the reason for the black waste after this newspaper last month visited the site following complaints by Kalkara residents about the stench.
Times of Malta had found that the effluent from the pipe located on the rocky shore beneath Fort Ricasoli was black, rather than its usual light colour.
The company said the black waste was “never experienced before” and still “cannot be rationally explained” following internal investigations.
It did put forward a plausible reason: that water may have turned black inside some equipment that had not been used for some time and was now leaking out.
The facility receives liquid waste from vessels and industry to remove any oils and other chemical contaminants prior to discharge into the sea.
Owned by Falzon Group, Waste Oils Limited admitted the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had asked it to reduce the main pollutant being discharged into the sea at Ricasoli, despite Mepa’s assertions that all was in line with permits.
The company told Times of Malta that following an inspection on December 1, they were advised by Mepa to reduce the content of hydrogen sulphide (a reduced form of sulphur) being discharged. Hydrogen sulfide emits a rotten egg odour.
Yet on December 5, Mepa told this newspaper that the discharge for the past months showed that the parameters were within the limits set by the firm’s environmental permit.
Mepa relies on the company to provide it with a log of discharges and test results assessing the quality of the effluent. However, experienced marine biologists, Alan Deidun and Victor Axiak, are demanding further explanations, saying an analysis of waste waters should be done by independent experts and then made public.
We have concluded that no further actions can be taken at this stage
“The results of the water quality monitoring conducted in the coastal waters on site so far need to be published to verify the company’s claims,” Dr Deidun said.
Prof. Axiak too said an analysis of waste waters by independent experts was required, as questions remained unanswered.
According to Waste Oils, one plausible explanation for the discharge could be the events following Mepa’s request to reduce the pollutant.
“To achieve that, we used additional water treatment equipment that hadn’t been used for several months to carry out double consecutive treatment of water.
“It is possible that a certain amount of water which had accumulated in the unused equipment during previous use turned black due to prolonged contact with steel. Once we opened these lines this black water started to trickle out,” she said.
The company also said that “to ensure that this possibility does not recur”, any equipment used in the treatment of water will be flushed clean before any intended suspension of use.
“We have concluded that no further actions can be taken at this stage,” the company said, adding it was waiting for the necessary permits from Mepa to upgrade the facility.