Environmental Pollution Concerns in Castiglione: Landfill and Site Cleanup Issues

One of the most urgent issues in the morainic territory where Castiglione delle Stiviere is located is environmental pollution. Despite the recent ruling by the Consiglio di Stato (Council of State), which rejected an appeal from the Brescia-based company Ambiantal Geom, tasked by the Pirellone (Lombardy Region) to build the infamous Pirossina landfill, and by the Region itself, the matter remains unresolved. The original ordinance by the Tar di Brescia (Brescia Administrative Court), which denied the construction of the toxic waste facility (Dgr 33969 of 12/29/97), still stands challenged.

“The Region, as well as Ambiental Geo, has filed an appeal with the Consiglio di Stato,” notes Saviola, a minority councilor for DS. “At the same time, all the groups that had already taken legal action before the Tar are now forming a joint defense against the appeal. What emerges clearly is a determination by the Region, especially under Formigoni, to persist in building this landfill.”

However, two other longstanding environmental issues still await resolution, both stemming from a disorganized phase of economic growth in the town of Aloisia. “First is the remediation of the Pirata quarry in the Lazzaretto area, previously used as a disposal site for industrial waste by the former Flucosit company of Asola. Then, there is the Busa, a land parcel in the Gozzolina hamlet, in the Testa locality, heavily polluted by harmful and carcinogenic substances such as benzene, toluene, and xylene, still present at several meters below the surface,”» he explains.

Currently, a series of analytical assessments are underway to better design the recovery phase. “The Pirellone – Saviola states – had allocated 700 million lire before the regional elections, promising to fund the final recovery project, estimated at around 13.5 billion lire. Now, after the elections and amidst the political climate shifted by the removal of former Ecology counselor Baruffi, there is even talk of a suspension. It’s difficult to see how the initial 700 million will be secured to conclude this investigation.”

Saviola also expresses concern about other situations: “We are closely monitoring what’s happening in Lonato, where analyses are being conducted in the Traversino area. The results do not seem at all reassuring. We are chasing emergency responses stemming from decades of environmental neglect, during which nearly everything was dumped into the morainic territory, especially in Lonato and Desenzano. In the gravel pits, any type of substance was discarded. What worries us even more is that there are many hidden sites posing potential environmental and health threats for local residents.”