We received a message from our readers via Facebook about a “manure pile” frightening people right beside the bicycle path in Warta Bolesławiecka municipality. According to those who reported it, the pile has allegedly been there “forever” and constitutes a rather questionable showcase for the municipality.

View photo: Manure pile looms beside the bicycle path View photo: Manure pile looms beside the bicycle path View photo: Manure pile looms beside the bicycle path

We asked the authorities of Warta Bolesławiecka municipality for comment. Officials stated:

[...] regarding the fertilizer pile beside the bicycle path, we inform you that:

  1. the pile is located in a cultivated field, plot no. 794 in the Warta Bolesławiecka cadastral district
  2. the fertilizer is used agriculturally to fertilize crops belonging to the owner of the cultivated field where it is stored
  3. the pile is approximately one kilometer from the nearest residential buildings and does not emit an unpleasant odor
  4. there are no water intakes or shorelines of surface waters in the vicinity of the pile
  5. Warta Bolesławiecka municipality is agricultural in character, and the recently constructed bicycle path running from Warta Bolesławiecka toward Kruszyn lies between cultivated fields.

In the remainder of its letter to the editorial office, the municipality adds which regulations govern the storage and agricultural use of fertilizers.

In the final point of their response to our question, officials from the municipality explain that, in accordance with the Fertilizers and Fertilization Act:

The provincial environmental protection inspector conducts inspections of compliance with regulations concerning the conditions for using and storing fertilizers, fertilizers marked “EC FERTILIZER,” and products supporting plant cultivation, in the manner specified in the regulations on the Environmental Protection Inspectorate.

What do you think? Does the aforementioned pile bother you too? We invite you to join the discussion.