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Redegørelse om jordforurening 2001

Summary and conclusions

This investigation is the annual report from the Contaminated Sites Council to the Minister for the Environment, presenting efforts and activities in the field of soil contamination.

A total of well over 12,000 sites have been listed/registered by the regional authorities - 6,349 sites at knowledge level 2 (established soil contamination, referred to as V2) and 4,322 sites were listed at knowledge level 1 (knowledge of activities that may cause soil contamination, referred to as V1). In addition, the local authorities have reported a total of 1,152 sites to the regional councils, which have not yet decided on relevant listing of the sites.

In 2001 the number of sites listed at V2 increased by 1,056, and the number of V1 sites increased by 2,552. A total of 265 sites were removed from listing in 2001. The average area of new listed sites is only ¼ of the previously listed sites.

A range of different sources has contributed to contamination of the sites. Petrol and service stations and other activities involving oil/petrol, together with dry-cleaning establishments, make up the largest group of causes underlying listing at V2 in 2001.

Listing is still based primarily on point sources. Areas contaminated by diffuse sources are listed only to a limited extent, and only at V2. The investigation indicates that many old urban areas are contaminated by diffuse sources. The Soil Contamination Council agrees with the decision of the regional authorities to accord a lower ranking to listing of these areas until listing of the more severely contaminated point sources has been completed.

The regional councils give highest priority to listing, supplementary investigations and clean-up measures in the special target areas designated under the Contaminated Soil Act, i.e. areas with special drinking water interests, abstraction areas for common water supply plants, and areas with housing, children’s institutions or public playgrounds. The council finds this decision very satisfactory.

The distribution between listing of areas with housing etc. on the one hand, and areas listed because of the risk of contamination of drinking water interests on the other, is almost equal. 47% of the areas listed in 2001 were, thus, used for housing, children’s institutions or public playgrounds. 20.5% were located in areas with special drinking water interests, and 23% were located in areas with drinking water interests.

Compared to 2000 the number of remediations financed by the regional authorities was slightly lower in 2001. According to information from the regional authorities a total of 87 remediations were initiated in 2001. In prioritisation of remediations, there is an imbalance in favour of housing and children’s institutions etc. (80%), primarily because the City of Copenhagen has taken remedial measures at a great number of children’s institutions.

Assessments made by the regional authorities show that for 3,721 of the 6,349 V2 sites, 63% are covered by the target areas under the Contaminated Soil Act.

Taken together, in 2001 the regional authorities have given special attention to listing, while activities relating to supplementary investigations and remedial measures have decreased. On the basis of regional authority budgets for 2002, the Contaminated Sites Council expects this tendency will become stronger in 2002.

The evaluation of the Land Depreciation Programme was completed in the summer of 2001. The main conclusions are that the programme has fulfilled its objective, and that a satisfactory number of cases were solved and a significant number of land-use conflicts for contaminated sites were resolved.

In 2001 an amount of DKK 34.6 million (Euro 4.6 million) were committed under the Land Depreciation Programme. Interest in the Programme was strong in 2001, and at January 1 2002, 132 applications were pending, corresponding to an amount of DKK 95.3 million (Euro 12.7 million).

With the adoption of the Soil Contamination Act, the local authorities were given extended responsibilities. One of their new tasks relates to notification of soil transport and supervision of the duty to take action. In addition to this, the tasks relating to notices of orders, consultancy services and assistance to regional councils’ listing efforts have increased.

The total amount of soil cleaned up and deposited in connection with remediation of listed properties or in order to avoid listing, was estimated at 1,168,000 tonnes, and, thus, significantly larger than the amounts reported in previous investigations, one of he reasons is probably extensive building and construction works in the Copenhagen area. However, assessment of amounts, types and final deposit locations is subject to great uncertainty, and, further, soil from road areas removed for instance in connection with road construction or removal of shoulders of soil along roads, is not included. The Danish EPA has therefore initiated a project under the Technology Programme for Soil and Groundwater Contamination, in order to clarify these parameters. The project will, according to plans, be completed in early 2003.

In 2001 the local councils continued their theme reports on causes for closure of water abstraction wells. Of the 126 wells closed in 2001, xenobiotic substances accounted for 9%, pesticides for 37%, and nitrate for 6%.

The total number of remediations in 2001 is estimated at a minimum of 969. Of these, 87 were financed by the public sector, 260 were cleaned up under special programmes, primarily the Danish Oil Industry’s Association for Remediation of Retail Sites, 166 fell under the insurance scheme for oil tanks at houses, while the rest are voluntary remediations or ordered remediations financed by private funds. Total expenditure for soil contamination is estimated at DKK 800 million (Euro 106 million).

Expenditure by the regional authorities is at the same level as in 2000, but increased in the period 1995-2000. Funding by the regional councils themselves has been increasing.

With a view to contributing to the Minister’s report on the Soil Contamination Act, to be presented to the Danish Folketing in the autumn of 2003, the Soil Contamination Council will start discussions in 2002 on how the Act functions in practice.