Between 200,000 and 400,000 liters of cow dung on a field – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio

Farmer Hans Skjærestein woke up on Wednesday morning to a large leak from his manure cellar in Valdres. He smelled something had happened as he walked down towards the barn. – I think there are close to four hundred cubic meters missing, he says. Cow dung has cleared beyond his field and towards the edge of the forest, then further down towards a local river which flows into Etna. Photo: Stine Bækkelien / news – I don’t know anything about the result yet, but it looks good. I think I’ll save this. He says that he has no choice but to take this with good courage and make the best of it. – It’s no use crying over spilled dung, he says. – A river of dung So it was on Wednesday morning or somewhat earlier that cow dung started leaking from the farmer’s manure cellar at Leirskogen in Sør-Aurdal. – The manure cellar is empty, says Laila Lien Østgård, fire chief at Valdres fire and rescue. Most of the cow dung is spread over a field. – It is simply a river of cow dung lying above the ground, she says. A river of cow dung flows down the field of the farmer from Valdres. Photo: Stine Bækkelien / news According to the police, there is talk of 200-300 cubic meters, but the fire chief believes it could be as much as up to 400 cubic meters of dung that has leaked out. Converted, this means 200,000 to 400,000 litres. Fighting against the clock Some of the dung has ended up in a tributary of the river Etna. On Wednesday evening, the farmer and the fire brigade fought hard to dig drainage ditches. This is to prevent more dung from flowing into the river when rain is reported, according to the fire chief. While the farm is located in Sør-Aurdal, the pollution in the river could potentially affect residents of Etnedal municipality, the police report. Map of the area that may be affected by the spill. The municipality: – Do not swim in the river Møkka, which has washed into the river Etna, flows past Etna camping, reports Etnedal municipality on its website. “This can cause discolored water and a bad smell, and swimming is not recommended for the next few days,” writes the municipality, and asks people who get water from Etna or Dokka/Etna, including the Dokka Delta and the Randsfjorden, to monitor the water quality. Published 04/07/2024, at 09.52 Updated 04.07.2024, at 13.03



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