Environmentalists File Legal Complaint Over Car Deposits in Muro Post-DANA

Environmentalists have taken legal action over the presence of hundreds of cars in Muro, removed after the DANA storm, citing potential environmental impacts. The Colla Ecologista La Carrasca-Ecologistes en Acción has filed complaints with the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation and the local court, expressing concerns over the environmental impact of the vehicle concentration. The responsible company intends to remove the cars progressively as they can be processed at their facilities, a process that environmentalists predict could take months.

In their complaints, the environmental group highlights that the area where approximately 800 cars are piled up is non-developable land and is just over 20 meters from the Agres River, entirely within the public hydraulic domain protection zone. It is also adjacent to two protected natural areas: the Serpis Protected Landscape and the Font del Baladre-Fontanars-Riu d'Agres Municipal Natural Area.

The complaint to the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation emphasizes that the Water Law prohibits any activity likely to cause contamination or degradation of the public hydraulic domain, specifically: "Accumulating solid waste, debris, or substances, regardless of their nature and location, that constitute or may constitute a danger of water contamination or environmental degradation."

They assert that the likely soil contamination and the transport of pollutants to the Agres River in the event of heavy rain make the continued presence of the damaged vehicles at this site a serious environmental threat. They also mention the fire hazard, which poses a significant health risk to the population located less than 200 meters away.

The complaint filed with the local court notes that the reported incidents may constitute a crime against natural resources and the environment as defined in Article 326 of the Penal Code. It also requests that, as a precautionary measure, the urgent removal of the vehicles to a provisionally compatible urban deposit be ordered, ensuring at least impermeable pavement and a secure spill collection system.

Environmentalists warn the court that if swift action is not taken, the risk of fire and soil and water contamination, both underground and surface, could result in severe damage.