– We have made a huge mistake, says acting municipal manager for city, environment and work in Hamar municipality Lars Rostad. It was in October 2022 that Hamar municipality began tapping Lake Nybusjøen in Vang in Hamar for water. This would prove to be illegal – a breach of the Water Resources Act (§8). Ole Nashoug in the Vang hunting and fishing association is responsible for the management of some of the fishing waters in Vang Almenning. He discovered the illegal bottling during a check of the water at the turn of the year. – I have never experienced something like this without us being notified about it. Especially with the cultivation and liming of the lake we do to get good fishing water, says the 79-year-old. FISHING WATER: There are not many lakes in Vang Almenning of significant size, and Nybusjøen is therefore one of the few. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news He looks at the operation with concern, and has reported both the municipality and Norway’s Water and Energy Directorate (NVE) to the police. Police attorney at Innlandet police district Einar Gausaa Bergem confirms that they have received the report from the fishing association. – We have opened a case on the matter, but have not started an investigation, he says. Concern for the fish Approximately 5 million square kilometers of the earth’s surface are covered by natural and artificial lakes. And these abound with unique life. Lake Nybusjøen is one of three larger lakes in the Vang community, and the fishing association has for around 25 years tried to facilitate good fishing there. The Flagstadelva also flows from Nybusjøen. It is an important spawning ground for lake trout. Two years ago, they filled the river with 66 tonnes of spawning gravel to save the popular and large lake trout. – Here, a lake is drained, with biological consequences. This is environmental crime at its worst, says Nashoug. THE DRILL: Ole Nashoug and Arne Hagen took the ice drill with them to measure the water level in Nybusjøen. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news Investigations in the summer will be able to show what it has meant for the sea. – Some of the fish may have died, and some have probably escaped down the watercourse, he says. news was there when Nashoug and sea-neighbor Arne Hagen showed they had investigated the lake’s water level. At the specific location they drilled, there was only around 20 centimeters of water between the ice and the bottom. – We estimate that approximately 50 per cent of the sea area is dry, says Nashoug. MUD: The water that came up from the hole had the impression of a lot of muck from the bottom. At the place they drilled there was around 20 centimeters between the ice and the bottom. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news Wanted to avoid damage Hamar municipality wanted to drain the lake because a report showed that pressure from the ice could destroy the lake’s dam. The municipality then informed NVE in the summer of 2022 that they wanted to drain the lake based on this. – We did not want a situation where the dam would disintegrate and flood down the river, says Rostad. DAM: The municipality was afraid that pressure from the ice would cause the dam to collapse, and the water would flood down the river. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news NVE notified Hamar municipality that the lake was subject to a licence, and that permission therefore had to be applied for before it could be drained. Hamar municipality did not apply for this, and drained the lake without permission. – They bet that they would get an express permit at a few days’ notice, but no application for this was ever submitted to us. The fact that they had started the bottling came like lightning from the blue, says senior advisor at NVE Region East, Arne Hamarsland. NVE did not discover the offense until Nashoug’s report ticked in. UNKNOWN: Arne Hamarsland in NVE did not know about the offense until Nashoug reported both the municipality and NVE. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news Hamar municipality thinks what has happened is regrettable. – It is a mistake on our part for which we lie completely flat. We have made a mistake in our case management, says Rostad. He also apologizes that no one other than NVE was informed about the intervention in advance. – Regrettably, there has also been a slip in the communication to the fishing association and the Vang public. The dialogue has not been good enough, says Rostad. SORRY: Lars Rostad in Hamar municipality apologizes for the intervention, and says they will work on the internal case management and ensure its quality. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news The offense will be prosecuted Now NVE is trying to take dam safety into account, while at the same time reducing the drawdown to avoid damage. – We have assessed how far the ice must be lowered in view of the pressure on the dam, and at the same time keep it at a level that avoids further damage to the environment, says Hammersland at NVE. LUKA: According to what news knows, there has been trouble getting the opening closed completely. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news – What consequences could this have had? – It has had consequences in one form or another, when the ice settles on the bottom and the volume of water in the sea is reduced. There is a reason why permission is needed for such interventions. Most often, a follow-up examination is needed to see the effect of the bottling, he says. The municipality’s offense will now be followed up by NVE, which will assess what kind of reaction is appropriate. An infringement fee is applicable in such cases, informs Hammersland. Hamar municipality plans to apply for a license before the summer of 2023. Nashoug believes they should shut down the bottling completely and immediately, since no one has been given permission to do so in the first place. – So that we had raised the water level, and had more satisfactory conditions for the fish. We do not want to prolong the dramatic situation we have today, he says. RIVER: The Flagstadelva flows through and out of Nybusjøen. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news
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– We have made a huge mistake – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
