Contaminated Landslide Creeps Toward Danish Waters as Financial Debates Loom

An environmental emergency is unfolding in Denmark as authorities scramble to halt the slow creep of contaminated soil toward Randers Fjord, a waterway connected to the Baltic Sea. The slippery slope of the toxicity threat – in both literal and figurative senses – has only been further complicated by the contentious debate over who should accept responsibility for the costs of containment and cleanup.

The immediate crisis centers on the site of the now-defunct Nordic Waste facility just south of the Jutland municipality of Randers. For years, the plant operated as a reprocessing center for hazardous materials.

Since its recent closure, a 75-meter tall, 3 million cubic meter mound of contaminated debris has remained, containing heavy metals and oil byproducts leached from industrial waste.

How Did the Landslide Start?

This unstable mountain of toxic soil has begun ominously sliding downhill at a pace of 40 centimeters per hour.