Published on August 2, 2016 by Marseille Tourism

It's hard to imagine factories in the calanques, and yet they existed! The current Calanques National Park (established in 2012) was once home to the most polluting industries in the Marseille area.

Between the 19th and 20th centuries, instead of the natural wonders, there were factories producing lead, soda, sulfur, limestone, and glass. There was a glassworks in Montredon, an oil refining plant at Col de Sormiou, a sulfur factory in Les Goudes, a limestone quarry in Port-Miou, and more. These polluting activities were located far from Marseille as they had to comply with the decree of October 15, 1810, which confined them to isolated areas. The calanques were an ideal location because there were few people and agricultural activities.

YEARS OF LEAD

In 1810, a soda manufacturing factory appeared in the calanque of Saména. The material was used, among other things, to produce the famous Marseille soap. The wave of soda factories flooded Saména, Les Goudes, Callelongue, and Col de Sormiou. The soda factories began to close in the mid-19th century. They used a process called "Leblanc," which, by the 1870s, was challenged by the "Solvay" process, which was more energy-efficient and less polluting. Failing to modify their industrial processes, the soda factories declined. During the same period (mid-19th century), lead factories established themselves in the calanques. The last lead factory to close was L'Escalette in 1924, which still stands today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, local residents mobilized against the establishment of factories in the calanques. Awareness led to a major mass demonstration in 1910. The concentration of factories shifted to the Etang de Berre at the end of the 19th century and to Fos-sur-Mer in the 1960s. It is in these two areas that most of the factories are located today. In 2009, the last factory in the calanques closed in La Madrague de Montredon.

ALTEO ALUMINIUM PLANT CONTINUES TO POLLUTE THE CALANQUES

For 50 years, the Alteo aluminum plant (located in Gardanne) has been releasing toxic red mud into the calanques park. The plant is estimated to have discharged 2,200,000 tons of aluminum, 9,300,000 tons of iron, 1,700 tons of lead, and approximately 20,000 kilograms of arsenic into the Mediterranean Sea.

Since January 1, 2016, Alteo has only been releasing "liquid effluents" thanks to a filtration system. This system has allowed them to obtain permission to continue discharging their polluting waste into the calanques for an additional 6 years (it is important to note that the calanques became a national park in 2012).

These discharges, exceeding the authorized limits, contain significant amounts of antimony and mercury. The plant has until the end of August to rectify the situation.