So, since the residents are demanding answers, we went seeking some from the developers. Our inquires led us to the upper management of Publics, the supermarket chain. We got a chance to speak with one of the shareholders of the company who has been personally involved with the construction of the gas station in Seine Bight.
We challenged him directly on the assertions from the residents that his company has polluted the sea. Here's how he responded to us via zoom:
Juan Carlos Dussan, Representative for developers
"The water that was going into the sea was result of excavation that we need to do in order to install the tank demanded by the department of the environment. Also, specifically from yesterday it was result of one excavation that we were doing for a canopy, so the water that we see on the video is the natural color for the water when you dig into that area after 4 feet. so there is not oil or chemicals or any spill as I read in the comments, because we have not start operations, we don't have any liter pf gas at the present moment, so I can say that the water that is there is basically the water that is the mix water with sand and water, that's why that is the natural color. We need to excavate it, because we need to do the casting and that process was ending yesterday, so we finish the casting yesterday and today we didn't have any water going and we will not have any water going."
Reporter
"Why not divert all of that water to somewhere on land terrestrial?"
Juan Carlos Dussan
"If you don't do it that way, that body of water, in order to complete installation you have to pump that water to the front, to the street, so you will create a river of mud, because there only 2 ways you can do it. You pump that water to the front, the street, and that finally will have to go out and find a body to water that is sea or the lagoon or you pump that water to the sea."
Reporter
"Was there any other option possible?"
Juan Carlos Dussan
"This is the decision that the company that is doing they advise us and they advise that we were not doing any damage, we were not polluting anything, they say this is the water and this is what we advise to do, so we follow that advise and there is no pollution."
So, we've shown you the anger over the water discharge, and the construction of the gas station. In order for the developers to get a return on their investment, they need the residents of the village to support them as customers. We asked the developer about that uphill battle since the gas station has attracted so much controversy, even though it is still under construction:
Reporter
"Your commercial success in Siene Bight depends on customer satisfaction. You already these group of people who dislike the area that yu built the gas station. How do you intend to try to gain the favor of those potential customers"
Juan Carlos Dussan, Representative for developers
"First of all, with transparency. We have to be transparent. Why we do the casting during the day, because we have nothing to hide. What we say is true. Those pipes are for temporary reasons and to do excavation. We are going to remove those pipes now. Second: with service. We need to serve our people and this is what we have been doing in Seine Bight and this what we try to do also in the rest of the location that we have. We understand that we are not perfect, we understand that sometimes we make mistakes, but you can be sure that all our teams has the target to serve the people."
