When the kerosene leaked on the TUM campus, an alarm was triggered.
Just nobody noticed.
The university now wants to adapt processes.
Meanwhile, the groundwater is pumped out.
Garching
- After the kerosene accident in Garching, contaminated groundwater has been pumped out since yesterday, Monday.
It is now known that a gas sensor sounded the alarm early on.
But nobody noticed the warning call.
The TUM now wants to adapt the alarm processes.
In a supply building on the TUM campus, over 5000 liters of kerosene had leaked during a construction project.
A large part of it ended up in the soil and groundwater.
Investigations lasting several days have shown that the pollutant has spread in a “locally limited area in the ground”, said TUM spokesman Klaus Becker.
The affected area has a maximum extension of 25 to 30 meters.
Experts would assume that the soil does not have to be removed.
"The work will definitely take one to two weeks"
The groundwater contaminated with kerosene, on the other hand, is pumped out completely. Specialist companies have created two so-called ring wells. Experts should remove the kerosene floating above with flowing towels. “The work will definitely take one to two weeks,” said Christian Leeb from the water management office. Costs? So far uncertain.
According to TUM and Munich Police Headquarters, the accident can be reconstructed as follows: At the end of June, a company renewed the pumping system. It pumps kerosene from a 10,000 liter underground tank into a laboratory building. Service work was carried out there for the last time on Monday, July 5th. On Saturday, July 17th, a gas sensor installed in the supply building triggered an advance warning. This sensor does not react to liquid kerosene, but to gases that are created when fuel leaks. The problem: The kerosene escaped from the building, the sensor was only able to detect an incorrect, small amount. As a result, the sensor only sent a warning to the laboratory. In the event of a "correct" warning, the central control system is alerted. On July 17, the laboratory was unoccupied - the advance warning came to nothing.
Kripo assumes a technical defect
Last Monday, TUM employees noticed that kerosene had leaked and got into the ground.
The dimension of the damage was "not obvious".
This was announced by university spokesman Becker.
There was "comparatively little" kerosene on the floor of the building.
The TUM called the contracted external company "immediately".
It was only during investigations on Tuesday, July 20, that the full extent of the environmental accident became clear.
The news reached the district administration office at noon.
The TUM now wants to adjust the sensors and check alarm processes.
"We have to look at the extent to which the system needs to be adapted," said Becker.
The police, however, assume a technical defect or incorrect installation of the pump.
She continues to investigate to clarify questions of criminal responsibility.
You can find more news from Garching and the district of Munich here.
