Meuse Pollution Halts Navigation; Factory Suspected

A significant hydrocarbon pollution incident in Belgium’s Meuse river forced the interruption of river navigation between Andenne and Ampsin-Neuville on Tuesday, with an abandoned factory in Andenne identified as the likely source. Emergency services were called to Rue Libert in Bas-Oha, in the Liège province municipality of Wanze, on the morning of August 4 after a large hydrocarbon slick was observed on the river’s surface near the Hesbaye Condroz nautical center, according to RTBF.

Source Identified

The Service public de Wallonie (SPW) confirmed Wednesday that the former Jumatt factory in Seilles (Andenne), Namur province, is the source of the contamination. A large cylindrical tank — approximately 2 to 3 meters wide and 10 meters high — containing viscous tar leaked through a valve, contaminated the soil, spread through a concrete technical duct carrying utilities, and ultimately discharged into the Meuse.

“We were able to identify a site, the former Jumatt site in Andenne, and more specifically a large cylindrical tank about ten meters high, from which a viscous liquid, a sort of tar, escaped and which, after soiling the ground, spread into a technical duct in which there were a whole series of utilities and ended up in the Meuse,” SPW spokesperson Nicolas Yernaux told RTBF.

According to the Belga news agency, children playing on the site of the abandoned factory reportedly opened the valve of a tank containing tar, releasing part of it into the sewage system. The claim, reported by La Libre and RTL Info, has not been officially confirmed by authorities.

As a precautionary measure, river navigation was interrupted between the Andenne lock and the Ampsin-Neuville lock — from kilometer 63.2 to kilometer 82.3 — while authorities worked to contain the spill. Firefighters from the Hesbaye Meuse Condroz (Hemeco) rescue zone, the Civil Protection, and the Walloon Region’s environmental police were mobilized, with floating booms installed downstream of Huy to prevent further spread.

Navigation was restored on Wednesday, August 5, according to L’Avenir.

Environmental Impact

The polluted zone covers approximately 2 kilometers of the river, with 3 to 4 kilometers of riverbanks contaminated and requiring cleaning. The tar is of the floating type, meaning it stays on the surface and absorbent booms are effective at containing it.

“At this stage, we do not observe any fish mortality,” Yernaux said. Experts from the Nature and Forests Department (DNF) were scheduled to visit the site Wednesday to assess the full environmental impact.

Cleanup Could Take Months

The SPW has ordered the site owner to designate a specialized cleanup company. The UDH depollution company, based in Engis, has been contracted for the operation, which is expected to be extensive.

“It will be necessary to replace the absorbent booms, clean the technical duct, excavate the polluted soil and clean the banks,” Yernaux said. “We will also need to ensure that the nautical center located downstream can resume its activities safely.”

Benjamin Lemaire, manager of UDH, told QU4TRE that filter booms will need to remain in place for several months. “We will have to change the booms that will become saturated with tar and proceed with cleaning the banks,” he said. “The difficulty is that part of them are inaccessible.”

The Hesbaye Condroz nautical center in Bas-Oha has suspended its activities until further notice, representing a significant economic loss during the summer season, as reported by L’Avenir.

Background: The Jumatt Factory

The Jumatt company, a modular housing construction firm, was declared bankrupt in June 2024, leaving approximately 40 workers jobless. The factory site has remained abandoned since then. In March 2026, a major fire destroyed a 320-meter-long workshop at the site, with authorities suspecting criminal origin.

Investigation Underway

The Walloon Region’s environmental police have opened an investigation. The SPW will prepare a detailed report for the Namur Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine responsibility for the leak. The causes of the incident — including the alleged involvement of children on the site — remain under investigation.

The incident highlights concerns about the security of abandoned industrial sites and the environmental risks they pose, particularly during periods of low river flow. As DH Les Sports+ reported, the low water levels prevented the pollutant from dispersing, keeping it concentrated and making containment more manageable — but also concentrating its impact on local riverbanks and the affected nautical center.

What to Watch

With cleanup operations expected to take weeks or even months, the key questions moving forward are the full extent of the environmental damage, the legal responsibility for the leak, and when the Hesbaye Condroz nautical center can safely resume operations. DNF experts’ assessment of the ecological impact will be crucial in determining the long-term consequences for the river’s ecosystem.

Valyrian News Network