Reported for dumping waste in Lake Maggiore in Brezzo di Bedero

Context

In brief

• Construction debris in Lake Maggiore at Brezzo di Bedero
• Property owner reported
• Divers working between 7 and 13 metres
• Recovery and restoration at the owner's expense

Key facts

• Location → Brezzo di Bedero, Lake Maggiore
• Authority → Forest Carabinieri of the Luino Unit
• Alleged offence → abandonment of non-hazardous waste
• Materials → concrete conglomerates and tiles
• Lakebed → between 7 and 13 metres deep
• Obligation → recovery at their own expense and restoration of the site

The report in Brezzo di Bedero

It was in Brezzo di Bedero, near Lake Maggiore, that the Forest Carabinieri of the Luino Unit reported the owner of a property to the Judicial Authority. The alleged offence is abandonment of non-hazardous waste.

According to the officers' investigations, the construction waste produced by renovating the house's terrace apparently ended up directly in the lake waters. The allegation therefore arose from the presence in the water of material from work carried out on the property.

The investigation was triggered by a report from a resident. The man had noticed some people throwing material from the construction site into the water and, after filing a formal complaint, brought the case to the attention of the forest carabinieri. The officers went to the site and found several piles of demolition material in the lake.

The debris identified included mainly concrete conglomerates and tiles. The account reported by the carabinieri links these materials to the renovation of the terrace and their subsequent discharge into the lake. The property owner is the person reported at the end of the investigation, while the incident is described as an alleged abandonment of non-hazardous waste.

The initial investigation thus led from the resident's report to direct verification of the presence of the piles. The incident concerns a spot in Lake Maggiore at Brezzo di Bedero and a construction project whose waste, according to the carabinieri, was abandoned in the water. The case was reconstructed through the report and the discovery in the lake of the piles linked to the terrace work, elements underlying the forest officers' intervention and the report to the Judicial Authority.

Operational details

The Lakebed Inspection

Inspection from the Lake

To determine how much material had been dumped and assess the environmental damage, an inspection of the lakebed was ordered. Checks were also carried out from the lake, using the patrol boat of the Compagnia Carabinieri di Luino and with the support of divers from the Associazione Nazionale Istruttori Subacquei.

The dives made it possible to identify and film a large quantity of debris lying on the bottom at a depth of between 7 and 13 meters. The presence of the material beneath the surface was therefore documented during the underwater activities, along with the depth at which the debris had been deposited.

The inspection was ordered to quantify the dumped material and assess the environmental damage. The activities from the lake involved the patrol boat of the Compagnia Carabinieri di Luino and the association's divers, who worked to identify and film what was on the lakebed.

According to the reconstruction by the Carabinieri, the material is believed to have been dumped deliberately. Investigators hypothesize that the aim was to avoid the costs of transporting and disposing of it at authorized facilities, thereby obtaining an unlawful financial advantage. This reconstruction was formulated at the end of the investigations into the material originating from the construction site and its presence in the waters of Lake Maggiore.

The forest Carabinieri also emphasize the decisive role played by the report received from the local area. The resident noticed some people throwing construction waste into the water and filed a formal complaint, enabling the checks to begin. For the forest Carabinieri, cooperation between citizens and law enforcement is an essential tool for combating environmental violations and protecting the area. In the case of Brezzo di Bedero, the report led to the inspection of the lakebed and the documentation of the debris through the dives.

Key points

The follow-up to the investigation

Recovery and restoration

At the end of the investigations, a report was filed against the property owner. The report comes after checks on the piles of demolition material and after the inspection that located and filmed the debris on the lakebed.

For the sole uncontrolled discharge of waste into the water by a business owner, the law provides for imprisonment from six months to two years or a fine of 3,000 to 27,000 euros. This provision is cited together with the charge indicated by the carabinieri and concerns the discharge of waste into the water.

The carabinieri do not rule out, however, that other criminal offenses may also apply, given the special environmental and landscape protection afforded to the basin of Lake Maggiore. The report is therefore accompanied by the possibility that further aspects relating to the protection of the basin and the places concerned may be assessed.

The man will also be required to recover, at his own expense, the material that ended up on the lakebed and to completely restore the condition of the site. The obligation concerns the removal of the debris located during the dives and the restoration of the area affected by the spill.

The follow-up indicated by the investigations therefore includes the recovery of the material and the complete restoration of the condition of the site, in addition to the assessment of the other criminal offenses that the carabinieri do not rule out. The operations will have to concern the material deposited in the lake and the effects of the dumping of waste produced by the renovation of the terrace.

The case of Brezzo di Bedero thus remains linked both to the report against the owner and to the intervention required on the lakebed. The material will have to be recovered at the man's expense, while the basin of Lake Maggiore will have to be completely restored to the condition it was in before the spill.

Source: varesenews.it