Jan Gunnar Opsal from the river owners association stands by the banks of the Surna – one of the country’s most important salmon rivers. – I am a qualified geologist, and filling the river with so much silt takes nature several thousand years. And here it happened within a week. This is what the bottom of the Surna river will look like in 2023. Last autumn, 30 km of the river suddenly turned brown. The discoloration lasted for weeks and was traced back to a bottling of Statkraft’s water reservoirs in Trollheimen. A large rehabilitation project had been set in motion following new requirements for what the dams should handle. – It is a very serious matter. It’s a big spill and we still don’t know what kind of consequences it will have for the river, says Mayor of Surnadal, Margrethe Svinvik (Sp). Margrethe Svinvik, Mayor of Surnadal. Photo: Marius André Jenssen Stenberg / news Dei and Surna river owners are tired of waiting for Statkraft and fear that the case will be rehearsed. They demand that Statkraft meet them and start talking about money and compensation. Georg Solem in the river owner association. Photo: Marius André Jenssen Stenberg / news – We are talking about a volume that could be the biggest spill in Norwegian history ever. And this is released straight into a national salmon waterway which then goes straight into a national salmon fjord, says Georg Solem from the river owners association. Will not negotiate now Statkraft will not comment on the quantity, but has admitted that it was more than expected. They are now waiting for the results of the investigations that Norce and NINA are doing on their behalf. The river owners have given Statkraft until Saturday to meet them and start negotiations. – We think it is too early to enter into negotiations, says Per Ivar Ingstad, power plant manager at Statkraft. They will wait for answers and results from investigations they have started in the river. Investigations they hope can provide answers to both short-term and long-term consequences. Per Ivar Ingstad, power plant manager in the Aura area of Statkraft. Behind him flows the regulated river Folda, which runs from the dams down to Surna. The amount of water should be roughly the same as when they towed out a year ago. Photo: Marius André Jenssen Stenberg / news Important for salmon The Surna is among 29 national salmon waterways and the Surnadalsfjorden is one of 52 national salmon fjords that must have special protection. – We saw that the river was practically lifeless last autumn. Then we talk about both fish and birds. All this has made us worried about the future, says Georg Solem. They point out that it can take a long time to build up a strong salmon stock again, if it has been damaged. It is particularly serious where the mud has covered the river gravel and destroyed the spawning grounds. Sludge from the river bed. Photo: Marius André Jenssen Stenberg / news – Do they have evidence to say that this has been harmful in the long term? – No, we must return to that. We have to distinguish between the discharge itself and the long-term consequences, says Jan Gunnar Opsal. Jan Gunnar Opsal in Surna Elveegarlag. Photo: Marius André Jenssen Stenberg / news Nevertheless, they will already now enter into a dialogue with Statkraft to start the work to rectify the mud blunder. So far, they believe that Statkraft has done too little. – I understand that they think so, but it is a complex issue, there is a lot to be mapped and it is a long stretch, Ingstad replies. NVE follows up on the case It is NVE that is responsible for following up that Statkraft has not broken the law. Angry river owners’ associations believe that the supervisory authorities have so far not done enough. Section manager in NVE, Mari Hegg Gundersen, refutes that they are taking the matter too lightly. – NVE has followed up Statkraft closely after we became aware of the incident, says Hegg Gundersen and points out that they are waiting for the same investigations that NVE is waiting for. – How seriously do you take this matter? – We take this case very seriously.
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Threatens to report Statkraft to the police for having drowned the river in mud
