Contamination require local solutions
Date: 1/17/2008
Contamination of the bottom sediments in fjords and harbours should primarily be solved with locally adapted measures. This is one of the preliminary conclusions of a major research project at NGI.
Land reclamation due to the contaminated sediments that are placed in a beach edge landfill, here in Gunneklevfjord.
All fjords and harbours are unique, and therefore the solutions must be tailored for each individual case. There is no standard solution that can be used in all ports and harbours of Norway. Measures must not cause greater emissions of environmentally harmful substances than what is in the sediments from before.
The key is environment efficiency for the entire mitigation measure. The solution does not lie in transporting contaminants to someone else's backyard.
Alternative measures that can be used in most of the polluted harbour and fjord areas along the Norwegian coast are:
- Covering (capping) of contaminated areas with clean masses
- Chemical stabilization of sediments
- Solidification treatment to obtain material with higher density and strength
- Underwater (submarine) deposits
- Special landfill deposits for highly contaminated/polluted substances
- Onland disposal sites
For more information about the project, read the entire article on forskning.no. (only in Norwegian).
