Large floods move rivers, modify their beds and sometimes bring to light the reliefs of past worlds.
But what the storm Gloria brought to light in early 2020 in Céret, on the banks of Tech, has nothing to do with the splendor appreciated by archeology.
Quite the contrary.
"The force of the current has brought to light an old forgotten landfill", summarizes Denis Gené, responsible for the works of the community of communes of Vallespir.
The picture left by the recession is not very appealing.
Tires, garbage bags with household waste ... "No one was aware of this landfill, it was not authorized and was organized in a former quarry which exploited the sands and gravel of the bed of the river", continues the technician.
The first works have already cost a small fortune, 30,000 euros for the collection of exposed waste, 30,000 euros for their sorting, 20,000 euros for the creation of a temporary riprap to protect the site and prevent it from collapsing. degrades further ... And there is still a lot to do with nearly 10,000 tonnes of soil mixed with waste to be sorted.
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"It is a somewhat emblematic project in the department to enter into the framework of the ecological transition component of the recovery plan," says Thibaut Félix, sub-prefect in charge of recovery in the Pyrénées-Orientales.
The recovery plan will provide 900,000 euros out of the 1.4 million euros needed for this restoration.
But there are still technical obstacles to overcome: finding a way to properly separate soil from waste, separate plastics from wood, etc. Several solutions are being studied.
When everything has been extracted, between November 2022 and December 2023, plants with depolluting qualities will be installed on the banks of the Tech to finish the work.
