German Police
Investigating Threat To Poison Lake Constance
November 14, 2005 — By Associated Press
BERLIN — Police in southern Germany
found two suspect containers in Lake Constance and were investigating a
threat to poison the waters, authorities said Monday.
The open containers were found Wednesday at the bottom of the lake in
70-meter (about 230-foot) -deep water, about 300 meters (yards) from the
shore, said Baden-Wuerttemberg state environment ministry spokesman Karl
Franz.
Authorities were now analyzing the containers for traces of the
herbicide Atrazine or other substances, and scouring the lake in case
there were more containers, Franz said.
He said the water has been extensively tested and that no danger exists
for the 4.5 million people who use Lake Constance, which is shared by
Germany, Austria and Switzerland, for drinking water.
"There is no reason to panic," Franz said in a telephone interview.
The authority that manages Lake Constance's water received a letter Oct.
18 threatening to dump pesticides into the lake. The author's only
demand was that the press be informed, Franz said.
It was kept quiet for a month in order to try and track the author,
Franz said.
The letter was anonymous, but police said in a statement they already
had a lead on a suspect.
Since the letter was sent, police and suppliers in Baden-Wuerttemberg
had tightened their controls on the sales of pesticides, according to
the joint statement from police, prosecutors, the BWV agency in charge
of Lake Constance's waters and other authorities.
Source: Associated Press
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