Government: "No one informed about the wastewater"

Both the City of Copenhagen and the Danish Gentofte Municipality have authorized two sewerage companies to discharge sewage.

“We understand that people are worried and find it disgusting. We have not been aware of this, but have now contacted the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which is the authority that receives information on environmentally hazardous activities in other countries, "said Gunvor G Ericson, State Secretary at the Environment and Climate Minister Isabella Lövin (MP), in a written commentary to TT.

Nor has the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency been notified by the Danish authorities about the planned emission.

"This means that Denmark must have made the assessment that the emissions are not covered by the requirements of the so-called Espoo Convention," Gunvor G Ericson continues, stating that the government will follow the issue.

The Espoo Convention is based on the need to take into account and inform other countries affected by emissions that are made.

- We have not had any knowledge of this, so we have not been able to have a dialogue with Denmark. They have not contacted us, says Egon Enocksson, administrator and contact person for the Espoo Convention at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

The spill covers 290,000 cubic meters of uncontaminated wastewater from, among other things, Copenhagen and is located four kilometers from the coastline at Skovshoved, near the Bakken amusement park, on the Danish side. The reason is a preliminary work on an extension of housing in Nordhavn in Copenhagen, which makes the ordinary waste pipe inaccessible for a limited time.

The decision to allow the emissions has thus been made at the municipal level. But on Saturday night, Danish Environment Minister Lena Wemlin (S) called on the municipalities to stop the planned emissions and investigate if there are other possible alternatives, reports the Ritzau news agency.

The emission plans have been criticized by several experts and organizations, including the Danish Nature Conservation Association, which warned of increased algal blooms. Municipal politicians and the county administrative board in Skåne have also reacted strongly.

But according to the environmental administration in the city of Copenhagen, it is better to release the wastewater now than in the autumn.

- The permit is granted before the bathing season begins. If we instructed Hofor (the sewerage company) to wait until October, as proposed, the sea temperature could be higher and the environmental impact therefore greater, says Hans Christian Karsten, Deputy Director of Technology and Environmental Management in the City of Copenhagen, to the Danish news agency Ritzau.

The decision to allow emissions is at the municipal level. But on Saturday night, Denmark's Environment Minister Lena Wemlin (S) still calls on the municipalities to stop the planned emissions and investigate if there are other possible alternatives, according to Ritzau.