Over the past year, the Region has conducted several analyses of the contamination from the former steel rolling works in Frederiksværk. The Region’s study was to clarify whether contamination with PFAS and phenols from the steel rolling mill is spreading to Roskilde Fjord.
In the study, water samples were taken and analysed directly from the fjord and the groundwater on the steel rolling mill site. Preliminary results show that only a few samples of fjord water have been found to contain PFAS and phenols just above the threshold limit values. The final report is expected this summer.
“It’s great that the new studies show that the contamination does not significantly affect the aquatic environment in the fjord. To be on the safe side, we will take more water samples from the fjord in the coming months to confirm the preliminary results,” says Line Ervolder (The Conservative People’s Party), Chair of the Environment and Climate Committee in the Capital Region of Denmark.
The Region has previously found contamination in the groundwater at the steel mill site, which can also be seen in the new study. However, calculations show that the spread of the contamination to the fjord is limited, which is supported by the analyses of the fjord water.
The coastal embankment is damaged
The contamination from the former steel rolling mill consists of slag, contaminated dust, and other residual material from the steel production. It is estimated that approximately 105,000 tonnes of waste have been deposited in the coastal embankment and on the site.
In the early 1990s, the coastal embankment was capped to prevent the contamination from seeping into the ground with rainfall or leaching into the fjord. The Region’s study shows that the cap has partially degraded in some places.
“The study shows that the contamination from the former steel rolling mill poses no major threat to the fjord. However, it is evident that the capping on the coastal embankment has degraded in some places, which we will be looking into,” says Ole Frimodt Pedersen, Head of the Environment Unit in the Capital Region of Denmark.
No money to secure the aquatic environment
The regions have not yet received government funding to protect the aquatic environment from soil contamination. Therefore, the new study of the contamination from the former steel rolling mill has been financed with an extraordinary grant from the Regional Council.
This is how we conducted the study:
Groundwater samples were taken from boreholes and wells on the steel mill site, and measurements were taken of the movement of the water from when it falls as rain until it spreads to the fjord.
Water samples from the fjord were taken from a boat at eight separate locations. Some samples are taken close to the coastal embankment, and some are taken further out in the fjord.
The condition of the coastal embankment was analysed by inspection and aerial photos. Samples of the material in the coastal embankment have also been taken for examination.
Facts
The new study has cost the Capital Region of Denmark DKK 1.5 million.
In December 2024, the government granted DKK 54 million to the regions to study, prevent and clean up soil contamination that threatens lakes, streams, fjords and coasts in 2025-2028. However, the regions have not yet received the money.
In January 2025, Danish Regions wrote to Magnus Heunicke, Minister for the Environment, asking for more money for the work.
For more information, please contact.
Line Ervolder (The Conservative People’s Party), Chair of the Environment and Climate Committee in the Capital Region of Denmark, tel. +45 50 80 26 36.
Signe Fuglsang Midtgaard, Communications Consultant, Centre for Regional Development in the Capital Region of Denmark, tel. +45 51 55 88 07.