Sweden’s Lake Among Most Polluted Water Bodies, Cleanup Planned by Mining Company
22 June 2025, 20:22 (UTC+04:00)
Ala Lombolo Lake in Kiruna is now recognized as one of the most contaminated water bodies in Sweden. At the bottom of the lake, experts have discovered mercury residues originating from an outdated dental clinic, materials from the mining company LKAB, and more than 17,000 munitions abandoned by Swedish military forces during the 1950s.
Although the contamination dates back to before 1969 and no legal party has been held accountable, LKAB has chosen to fund a cleanup project to restore the lake to a safe condition for swimming. “Currently, the lake is not toxic, but the combination of excessive nutrients and mercury in the sediment could create an environmental risk if the sediments are disturbed,” explained Liselott Olausson, head of LKAB’s environmental department.
The planned remediation involves the use of specialized equipment to delicately extract the contaminated sediment. Once removed, the material will be processed on land, with water being frozen to separate and remove the pollutants. Nearly 400 trucks will be needed to transport the sediments during the cleanup.
Cleanup activities are scheduled to commence by 2027, although the total cost of the project has not yet been finalized. According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, while there are more than 85,000 contaminated sites across Sweden, only a limited number are polluted water bodies. This is largely due to the high expenses and technical difficulties associated with researching and remediating water pollution.
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