A court in Switzerland has ruled that a small stream in Saint-Légier is too noisy, after local residents and homeowners complained to the canton. Now, the river is set to be soundproofed. 

Residents complained to the canton that the stream was too loud

The stream, which was uncovered in 2020 as part of a construction project, may now be covered back over after two residents complained to authorities in Canton Vaud that the noise produced by the stream was simply too loud. 

“The stream had been channelled for farming. An NGO asked for it to be put back in the open and then a compromise was accepted,” explained Alain Bovay, trustee of Blonay-Saint-Légier in an interview with the Vaudois Daily.

Loud stream in Switzerland to be soundproofed after appeal

The case was initially raised by concerned residents, to which the Director-General of the Environment for the canton responded by saying that "the noise emitted by the stream, which has been restored to the open air, does not constitute an inadmissible attack on the tranquillity of local residents". Residents were apparently unhappy with this response and appealed to the cantonal court to have something done. The court ruled in their favour. 

Now, the petitioners have asked the Director-General to either bury the stream, reduce its width or even instal a noise barrier as a sort of soundproofing. It is unclear at this point what the response will be.