The Latvian dairy processing group Food Union has completely eliminated the source of pollution, due to which the domestic water flowed into the rainwater drainage system, as it was established on July 6 this year.
The company has dismantled the overflow pipe, which has not been known to the company so far because it is not visible in any of the diagrams or topographies. Upon discovery, it was found that the overflow pipe was built in the upper part of the sewerage well approximately 0.8 m above the gutter, as a result of which wastewater could enter it only in an emergency.
“We consider the public opinion of the State Environmental Service regarding deliberate pollution to be unfounded. We are the victims of a previously created, historic situation. We cannot make it unprecedented, but we can do everything in our power to prevent the consequences and recurrence in the future, which we have done immediately. Concern for public health and the environment is one of our strategic priorities. That is why we have started our internal investigation, as well as will cooperate with the State Police, ”comments Irēna Holodnaya, head of the Food Union in Latvia.
It has been previously reported that on July 6 this year, the State Environmental Service, together with the specialists of the Riga Dairy Plant, carried out an inspection of sewage wells, as it was suspected that untreated domestic wastewater may have entered the nearby rainwater sewer. Thanks to the joint work of specialists from both organizations, it was found that there is an overflow pipe between the rainwater and domestic sewers in the company’s territory, which was not known to the company so far, as it was not marked in any of the legacy schemes or topography of the 1990s.
At the same time, it was discovered that an emergency situation had occurred in the company’s own sewage system – as the liquid level rose in it, it overflowed into an unknown pipe.
Finding the above, Rīgas piena kombināts immediately rectified this situation, which was also reported to the SES on July 20. The company pumped into its stormwater drainage system and completely removed the overflow pipe found. At the same time, for preventive purposes, the company carried out an inspection of all sewerage systems of the Riga Dairy Plant and concluded that there were no other unknown sewage supplies in its territory.
“Rīgas piena kombināts” regularly invests in environmentally friendly production and infrastructure solutions. Among other things, the new PET line, which produces a variety of drinking yoghurts in fully recyclable packaging, is at the heart of excellence in fresh dairy products. The company’s fleet is also becoming “greener” – many of the trucks have dual-temperature freezers, which reduce both mileage and CO2 emissions. The company is also starting to use electric cars. The company plans to invest another 2 million euros in the internal environmental infrastructure in the coming years.
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