The case in summary: • One in four Norwegians lives in a house where the sewage system does not meet the authorities’ requirements for purification.• In Arendal, the sewage from around 300 homes goes untreated directly into the sea.• The municipality is aware of the problem and works continuously to improve the situation.• Sewage discharge can lead to the spread of disease and changes in the ecosystem.• Senior researcher Lars-Johan Naustvoll at the Institute of Marine Research emphasizes that sewage is a challenge that must be addressed and cleaned up.• Naustvoll points out that the authorities must continue to improve the sewage network. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In the depths, right outside the center of Arendal. A sewer pipe comes straight out of an old southern country house. Paper and excrement form an unsightly carpet on the seabed. The municipality is fully aware of the problem. – Around 300 homes have drains that go untreated directly into the sea. We have approximately a 93 percent degree of connection of homes in Arendal municipality to the drainage network. That’s what department head in the municipality, Sten Tore Jørgensen, says. Head of department in Arendal municipality, Sten Tore Jørgensen. Photo: Mona Hauglid This means that there are at least 1,600 homes in the municipality that have other solutions. The municipality says they are working continuously to improve the situation. – We have an operating budget of approximately NOK 60 million in total to handle the waste water. We comply with the current sewage treatment requirements from the State Administrator and the Norwegian Environment Agency, and we use the money necessary to comply with the requirements set there. Drone image from Arendal. Photo: news Will not swim On the city beach in the center of Arendal, it is only a couple of hundred meters to the nearest discharge point, where the sewage goes unfiltered straight into the sea. What do people here think about the news? – I haven’t thought too much about it, but it’s bad if it’s true, says Arendalite Jan Thorsland. Do you feel like swimming now? – No! Jan Thorsland does not want to bathe. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Swedish Rasmus Hamren is not too worried about swimming. – You can probably jump in anyway. There are many other things that pollute. For me it’s not a big problem. Swedish Rasmus Hamren is not worried. Photo: Leif Dalen / news National problem Figures from Statistics Norway show that one in four Norwegians lives in a house where the sewage system does not meet the authorities’ requirements for purification. The challenges are many. Direct emissions into the sea are one of them. But also storm water during heavy rain, old pipes that leak and lack of infrastructure are problems that most municipalities struggle with. Senior researcher Lars-Johan Naustvoll at the Institute of Marine Research says sewage discharges have had a lot to say about water quality over large parts of the country for many years. – It is quite clear that sewage is a challenge that we must address and clean up. Lars-Johan Naustvoll., senior researcher at the Institute of Marine Research. Photo: Kristin Olsen / news One of the problems with sewage in the sea is the risk of disease spreading. – Intestinal bacteria and Norovirus can be spread with sewage and can make us sick, says Naustvoll, who has researched water quality for many years. Must be taken seriously The researcher says things have improved in recent decades, but that the authorities must continue to improve the sewer network. It is clear that the sewer pipe is still in use. Photo: Geir Eliassen – It must be taken seriously. New guidelines from the EU have made this even stricter. The authorities must constantly monitor whether we follow these rules. Naustvoll also adds that sewage can lead to changes in the ecosystem. Published 08/08/2024, at 05.28 Updated 08.08.2024, at 06.30
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One in four sewage systems are too bad – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
