Around a million liters of liquid manure escaped from a biogas plant in Reichenberg near Würzburg on Tuesday and flowed into a stream. A spokesman for the professional fire brigade said that the manure flowed several kilometers in the morning through the creek bed into the city of Würzburg. The emergency services then built a dam and stopped the foul-smelling liquid. Previously, firefighters had already collected large amounts of liquid manure. These were pumped out. According to the police, the suspicion that the damage was obviously caused intentionally increased during the day. This was the result of investigations by the Würzburg water protection police. A criminal investigation was initiated against a 33-year-old suspect.
According to the police, shortly before four in the morning, a farmer called the police emergency service and reported that there had been a liquid manure leak at his biogas plant in the Reichenberg district of Fuchsstadt (Würzburg district). Apparently, two extraction hatches had been opened on purpose, allowing the liquid manure to escape over a period of up to two hours. It was initially not clear why the suspect could have opened the hatches. After initial interrogations, he was released. A preliminary investigation is now underway against him on suspicion of an environmental crime. Due to the impending environmental hazards, numerous fire brigades from the Würzburg district were on duty on Tuesday, as well as the city of Würzburg’s professional fire brigade, the water management office and the district’s environmental office. The operation was not over by mid-afternoon. The extent of the damage is still unclear.