Author: teen05
Dette er blogg av og for ungdom,
som vi lager og bruker på skolen vår!
Vi tar opp temaer vi jobber med i fag, men også om ting vi er opptatt av
Where and what are Nesodden’s water sources?
By Syver, Kristoffer and Magnus
The main source of water on Nesodden is Blekslitjern.
How secure is nesoddens water sources?
Nesodden and Norway has very clean and safe tap water wich is available at all times.
This is mostly because of nesoddens evenly tested kommunal waterworks wich asures that the tap water is safe. Altough, Nesodden have had to limit the usage of water by prohibiting citizens watering their gardens with sprinklers and water hoses, in most summers though especally last summer.
Does the water supply get affected by climate change and why doesNesodden have a lack of water in the summer?
In recent summers Nesodden have had a lack of rain and a problem with drought. Climate change can be one of the reasons for this, but we can’t be sure if climate change is the direct reason why we have so much drought in summer times. But we know the temperature of the wheatea
r just get warmer and warmer due to climate change and pollution. Because of the drought problems we have in the summer, our commune Nesodden have forbidden people to give water to their flowers and garden with water hose.
Our local council also have to use millions of Norwegian kroners every summer to get water from our neighbouring council, Bærum, because we don’t have enough water ourselves.
Distilling Water
Photos from Tangenåsen Exploring Rinsing Systems
The Environmental Issues Surrounding the Salting And Building Of Roads
By Annika and Aron
Salting
Lately, scientists in Norway have been wondering why the use of road salt has increased these past years. When in fact they have been trying to use less.
This is a plow truck salting the road to melt the ice and snow.
Salting often contaminates water and rivers that are close to roads along with just pure use of the road, things will be thrown into the water. If it rains then the runoff will drain into the water and bring along salt, dirt, and various leaks from cars, and other vehicle`s that use the road into the water.
Since the gravity has pull as it does, everything will flow into rivers or lakes that are used as a source for drinking water for wildlife and humans. Contaminated drinking water can poison the humans and animals who drink from it. Salt runoff can also seep down into the groundwater and further pollute the ocean and make rivers and lakes saltier to the point where the organisms in the lake or river can die from too much salt.
Salt runoff from the road can cause a separation in the water of small lakes/ponds where the saltwater collects at the bottom and keeps the water from circulating. This is a problem cause due to the lack of circulation the water loses air which can be fatal for the organisms that live in the pond, like fish. Salt can also be dangerous for amphibious animals like frogs as their skin doesn’t react well to salt.
Is there an alternative?
Statens Vegvesen (our Transport Authorities) in Norway have tried to find different ways of removing the ice on roads in the winter by dampening, mixing and using salt with more magnesium. Sadly, there hasn’t been a breakthrough yet, but they are working on a new and more environmentally friendly solution.
The best alternative right now is gravel.
Building roads
The action of building roads damage nature. But what are the other bad side effects of building roads? And how does this pollute the freshwater sources near the building site?
- A negative side effect to building roads is that if you use explosives to flatten a rock that is in the way it can unleash an amount of dust that then usually drifts to the water making the water dirty and polluting it.
- Asphalt is the binding glue that they mix with rocks and such to create asphalt-concrete that is used to build the roads. Under construction the asphalt is heated and can cause toxic fumes which can enter your body through breathing it in or skin-absorption. It can cause harm to the roadworkers and to the animals and nature surrounding it.
This is a picture of refined Asphalt.
Today a big problem with roads and traffic are the rubber-bits that fall off the vehicles tires while driving. These bits of rubber are extremely small and pollute rivers, freshwater sources and the ocean with plastic. the algae eat these small pieces of plastic and the fish eat the algae which ultimately ends up with making us eat plastic if we eat fish.
Runoff
In tunnels there is a lot of dust, rubber, tire bits and metal particles from the cars that drive through. When they clean these tunnels the run
off water spills out of the tunnels and sometimes spills into a pond or very small lake. The runoff decreases the water quality in the small lake/pond for the animals who live and drink from it.
Our water on Nesodden
By Selma and Maja
We who live here on Nesodden, love to be active. Some of the activities we love are cross country skiing, slalom, boating, football, swimming or working in our gardens. All these things affect the water here on Nesodden.
You probably wonder how activities such as football and slalom have anything to do with water? Most of the time you play football, you play on artificial grass. In this artificial grass, there are small pieces of rubber which easily get into waters and seas. These rubber pieces are made from rubber, and we all know that rubber isn’t good for the environment. All this usage can lead to a lack of drinking water for the inhabitants!
Then we have the steep hills, they don’t always have real snow, so they make some. There is a pond right next to it, and they take water from that. The same goes for cross-country skiing, there isn’t always enough snow. When skiing, you sometimes use ski lubrication and some ski lubrication contain fluorocarbon glides. That is not good for the environment. Another activity that is bad for the environment is boating, where oil is used as gas. That oil is not good for the water. In addition to that, some idiots also throw garbage from the boat and into the waters and seas. After all, it is not only the activities that are bad, but also the transport to and from them.
It has been very dry weather on Nesodden the last summers. Was it the water ban that stopped the Blekslitjernet from drying out?
– The water ban reduced the water spending. But on very hot summers, we buy our water from other municipalities like Bærum municipal. The water is delivered over the sea from Fornebulandet to somewhere near Tangen brew. Nesodden municipality has also worked on another water source from Asker municipalities. That water is also delivered over the sea from Asker to Fjellstrand pier. Under the dry summer in 2018, it was so dry that private wells went dry. To fix that problem, our municipality found other places where people could get water for their wells.
Is it outdoor activities that damage the Fagerstrand steam?
– Husbandry (mostly horsekeeping) along the steam can cause damage. Often horse manure ends up in the steam – for an example when there is a lot of rain.
How does cottages without proper sewage affect the water?
– Cottages with old/not approved private sewerage gives unwanted emissions to steams and ponds. Faeces from humans and animals contain lots of bacteria (also some who could give you diseases). Our municipality therefor demand upgrading of old and not approved sewerage.
Some people say that waxes with fluorocarbon is bad for the environment, but what are the consequences from use of toxic waxes (how does it affect the environment)?
– The environment is damaged if any trails of the wax is left behind in the nature, are included in the food chain and jump up in different organisms (for an example fishes). Many of these toxic substances can be endocrine disruptors, can lead to cancer or affect the food chains ability to reproduce.
What about producing fake snow and building of ski tracks?
– Production of snow demands a lot of water and energy, which helps to increase greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings of new or improving old ski tracks can in some cases be negative if the nature you build it in has high biological value, for an example an old oak forest.
The ski slopes are right by a pond. Does any of the chemicals or anything else that could pollute the water go into the water?
– If people use products for their skis or snowboards that aren’t environmentally friendly. It could end up in the water.
Places like Skoklefalltjernet is a place where people go on walks every day. Is the pond and the area around it polluted because of that in any way?
– The walking isn’t a problem, but if they throw garbage in the nature or don’t pick up after their dog went to the toilet it could pollute.
Is littering a big problem?
– Littering is generally a big problem in large areas. It is especially a problem if plastic ends up in the sea. A lot of the plastic at the beaches has come from a place far away, but the currents washes it from the sea. The plastic can break into smaller pieces and turn into microplastic. This hurt organisms like fishes and birds. It can also hurt animals by them getting stuck in it, or by it coming into their food so that they become ill or choke
Photos from Afghanistan
Welcome to Norway!
We live on a peninsula in Norway, called Nesodden. The place is close to our capital Oslo. We want to inform you about how spare time activities affects our water.
Nesodden has a lot of forests and beaches. There are also a lot of cabins on Nesodden.
A few years ago, there was discovered a problem with the football pitches. The rubber granules made to protect players from bad falls, are an environmental problem. After someone had been on the pitch, many of these rubber granules would get stuck to the clothes or shoes. When it starts to rain, the rubber dots will flow with the rain and out in other waters. “-Therefore, the county has decided to look for more environmental-friendly alternatives.”- Wenche Dorum.
We mentioned that there are a lot of cabins here. Many cabins are not connected to the sewage and water systems. They are finding other ways to throw out their dirty water and sewage. That may be the biggest problem for our water. Somewhere there are found salmonella in the drinking water. “Cabins with old/ not approved private sewage systems do sometimes give unwanted sewage to lakes and streams. Sewage from humans and animals have a lot of bacteria in it. Therefore, the county demands upgrading of old/not approved sewage systems or to connect the private sewage to communal ones.”- Wenche Dorum
Skiing is an activity that many Norwegians enjoy during the winter months. In order to make your skis glide well on the snow, you often need a wax made from several chemicals. These chemicals are not only harmful for humans, but also the environment. “Many of these chemicals can change the hormonal balance, be carcinogenic and affect the organism’s reproductive abilities.”- Wenche Dorum.
Our waters are more polluted than what some people think, but organisations, the government and people in general are trying to spread awareness so that one day, our water can be 100% clean.
Sources:
«Velg miljøvennlig I skisporet dropp flourkarbon – gli» written by Martin Ødegaard, published 13.03.2014
“Kommunal vannforskyning” written by Nesodden kommune, Published 19.07.2016
https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/vei-vann/vann-og-avlop/kommunal-vannforsyning/
“Hovedplan drikkevann og vannmiljø” written by Nesodden kommune, published 2009.
Water quality in Nesodden municipality and the Oslofjord
What are the challenges and what are the measures being taken?
Written by Sofia Barton and Daniel Brandeggen.
27th March 2020
Introduction
In this essay we discuss how polluted masses from road construction, salting and littering can affect the drinking water quality, and the quality of freshwater and sea water on and around Nesodden.
Study area
Nesodden is a peninsula in the Oslo fjord with a population of about 20.000 inhabitants. In Norway everyone has access to clean drinking water and the water supply is mostly from surface water. In Nesodden we have four municipal waterworks, at Blekslitjern, Kirkeåsen, Jaer skole and Fagerstrand. The waterworks main source of water is Blekslitjern. Nesodden also imports water from Bærum municipality when there is a local shortage.
Runoff from roads and drinking water
On Nesodden municipality’s web page they claim that the residents that live here have access to perfectly clean drinking water. But that does not mean we don’t pollute freshwater and saltwater in the environment. In the society we live in we construct roads, salt and pave them. People also drop litter on the pavement. How sure can we be that these sources of pollution don’t end up in our drinking water sources or in aquatic environments? How sure can we be that Nesodden municipality is making sure that this doesn’t end up in for example Blekslitjernet or the Oslo fjord?
Interview with Marianne Olsen from Miljødirektoratet (the Norwegian Environment Agency). We used Google Translate for parts of the interview.
How can runoff and road construction affect water quality?
Surface runoff from urban areas can contain environmental toxins and microplastics from road traffic (e.g. wear from car tires), contaminated particles (e.g. from fuelwood), and waste. Norway`s largest sewage treatment plant receives drainage from four different municipalities, among these Nesodden. In a few hours the water is treated and it’s all released into the Oslo fjord. Due to climate change, the amount of rainfall will increase in the years to come. This means that there will be larger amounts of water that end up in the sewer system. The drainage systems do not have the capacity to receive all the water, and the risk of having water that hasn’t been through a cleaning process will increase, and this will most likely end up in the fjord. Much surplus mass from road construction is filled into the sea along land to establish new land areas. To do this, road builders must have permission from the country governor in accordance with the pollution regulations. In such permits, the country governor set requirements to ensure that the landfill does not cause any significant damage to the natural environment. The pollution authorities have also made rules for how both polluted and clean masses from road construction can be landfilled to prevent damage to the natural environment. Contaminated masses from road construction must be dumped at improved landfills if the masses cannot be recycled or used for useful purposes in an environmentally safe manner.
How can salting and putting gravel on roads affect the water quality?
In the winter, there’s a lot of ice and snow on the roads. To keep the roads safe, we have to salt and put gravel on the pavements and roads. We salt the roads because of that But this also has its consequences on the fjord, lakes and ponds. Dumping of contaminated snow in watercourses or landfills can pose local pollution problems. Excess snow may contain microplastics, sand, gravel, salt and garbage as well as environmental toxins/heavy metal. Oslo municipality has therefore made an agreement with the NCC company to receive big amounts of snow that has been driven away from streets and roads in Oslo. The snow gets transported to NCC’s snowmelt plant, where its melted and cleaned. The purified melt water gets released into the Oslo fjord. Freshwater, like ponds and lakes, may get contaminated in a different way. Runoff from salting the roads can be dangerous for aquatic life. Runoff can wash salt off from the roads, and this may end up in lakes like Blekslitjernet. The salt is heavier than the freshwater, so this will fall to the bottom of the pond and the freshwater will go to the top. This creates a separation between the salt and the freshwater. In the autumn, when there’s a lot of wind, there won’t be as much circulation in the water as there usually would be, and the water can end up with oxygen deficiency (anoxic). And fish and living creatures that live in the pond need oxygen to survive.
What is being done to prevent that these environmental toxins end up in aquatic environment?
The Storting has unanimously decided that the government will present a comprehensive plan for the Oslo fjord with the aim of promoting active outdoor life and achieving a good environmental condition in the fjord.
Here’s a list few things that are being done to protect the aquatic life around Oslo and Nesodden:
– As mentioned, the NCC snowmelt plant has agreed on receiving on receiving snow from streets and roads in Oslo.
– The sewage treatment plant VEAS receives drains from Oslo, Asker, Bærum and Nesodden.
The Norwegian Public Road administration and the company “Nye Veier” (New Roads) are project owners for road construction in Norway. They have to take certain precautions that can vary from project to project. Here are some examples:
- They have to monitor the roads that have been constructed around lakes to prevent lakes form being contaminated.
- Pebbles that are used to fill the sea must contain as little plastic as possible.
Conclusion
What are the main things to take away from the interviews? We think that although we may have access to perfectly clean drinking water on Nesodden, that does not mean we don’t pollute freshwater and saltwater in the environment. Runoff from salting the roads can be dangerous for aquatic life.
We also think that it is
important to know that, surface runoff from urban areas can contain environmental toxins and microplastics from road traffic, contaminated particles, and waste. Because of climate change the drainage systems do not have the capacity to receive all the water, and the risk of having water that hasn’t been cleaned will increase, and this will most likely end up in the fjord
To solve many of
these problems, the Parliament has asked for a comprehensive plan for the Oslo fjord with the aim of promoting active outdoor life and achieving a good environmental condition in the fjord.
Building and construction on Nesodden
Nesodden local council wishes to investigate the water situation on Nesodden to find out if there is a connection between human activity and pollution of groundwater, freshwater and fjords. The living area to many species are getting ruined by physical interferce for example: agriculture, forestry, various types of development (housing, industry, and roads) contributes the most.
We were given a task to find the answers to the following questions:
Does human settlement, development and various constructions effect the water quality and the life around you? In that case, how?
What challenges do you builders face when it comes to water and drainage at Nesodden? In that case, why?
We interviewed Alfred’s dad because he is an architect and here are his answers:
– Often when you build a house you usually build it on a natural ground. You can try to build it in a way that “protects” the nature. For example, to draw the house in a way that you can keep as many trees as possible. He also said that it’s still hard to build without effecting the biological diversity. Many houses are built with a basement which is a huge interference in nature. Even though the architect wants to keep as much nature as possible, it’s the buyer or the person that orders who decides.
Challenges:
In the last few years, they tightened the rules around the handling of rainwater. In Oslo there is a big problem, the water system is flooded. Because it isn’t enough nature to absorb the water from the rain. The last two projects he has been working on there has been claims for a raingarden on the site/plot where the water can be gathered. It is a very good measure, not just for the stormwater but for plants and insects. There are also many buildings that are built with something called “green roofs” It’s the same principle as the traditional cabin –grass, moss and/or plants on the roof. The roof then absorbs the water and one gets vegetation which will be good for insects. On larger projects its common for mapping of the biodiversity before it gets permission to build. Even though it’s not so popular in Norway, houses with hay on top is the best solution for the environment.
The Drinking Water on Nesodden
By: Nora Hafsteen and Ada Rydhagen
Right now, we’re working on the project “water” in school. Our group got the assignment to find out about our drinking water. In this article you’ll learn about that.
To find out more about this, we had to get some answers about;
- where we get our drinking water from,
- who transports our drinking water,
- how the population here on Nesodden can be sure that our drinking water is clean,
- where the water becomes clean,
- what kind of obstacles you could face against clean water and
- what kind of process the water goes through.
We’ve contacted someone from our municipality to get the answers to this. We’ve also done some research online and found out even more through those sources. Now we’re going to take a closer watch on some of the information we got from the interview with Reidun Isachsen, who is working with our drinking water in our municipality.
Where do we get our drinking water from?
Nesodden’s population get their water from either their own wells or from three municipal waterworks. The main source to the drinking water is Blekslitjern and consists of surface water. The two other water sources we have is smaller and consists of groundwater. Nesodden has also added a waterpipe from a place called Bærum to Nesodden (where we live) as a backup plan. This waterpipe runs along the bottom of the fjord and gives water to the main watersystem, for those who don’t have their own well. This makes us have double securing, so if something happens, we will always have drinking water.
Who transports our drinking water?
For the water to go into our faucets, it has to go through some waterpipes. For it to come out of our faucets, they use pumps to make pressure. We also have elevated basins a lot of places. If we would need some reserve water, these elevated basins are big water reservoirs that lays high in the terrain and is enough for several days.
How does the water become clean?
The water is purified in the water treatment plants that are adjacent to the water sources. It is so-called full purification, with the addition of chemicals to make particles of any contaminants which are subsequently removed in sand filters. In addition, the water is disinfected with both chlorine and UV radiation to remove any bacteria and parasites. This cleansing process fails to remove smell and taste, so for some periods the water may taste a little murky.
What kind of obstacles can you face on the way to clean drinking water?
Obstacles on the way to clean drinking water can be that the raw water itself is polluted or that the treatment of the water doesn’t work in an optimal way. It’s made strict claims about protection of the raw water sources and it is done careful follow-ups in the water treatment plants. This is both done by operating personnel who daily works at the environmental control, camera surveillance of parameters and tests of the water around the waterpipes, before and after cleaning of the water.
Sources:
https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/siste-nytt/det-kommunale-drikkevannet-i-blekslitjern.183786.aspx
Interview with Reidun Isachsen
Thank you for reading our article!
How does farming affect the water supply?
Farming is a milestone in humanity’s technological evolution, first, it was seen as something heavenly. Now we can predict our exact crop yield for an entire year. Farming has been a cornerstone throughout human history, and our world without it is unimaginable. We want to find out how different pesticides and fertilizer affect our water supply. What kind of challenges do the farmers have when the availability of freshwater is sparse, and what is the difference between traditional farming (with pesticides) and ecological farming (without pesticides).
How do different pesticides and fertilizer affect our water supply?
We asked a farmer from the state “Innlandet” the following questions, “Do you think that your fertilization, pesticides and other activities that you do on your farm affect the groundwater, freshwater and the fjord nearby?” He answered with: I don’t pesticide because I need a pesticide certificate, and I use a minimal amount of fertilizer on my crops, and from my point of view I barely pollute the surrounding ground and freshwater.
“Do you ever have problems with freshwater for your farm?” He answered: I have never had a severe shortage of water, but during great dry periods, it calls for some extra work to get enough water for my entire farm.
“Is there a difference between traditional and ecological farming?” He answered with: I have never needed to use that much fertilizer, but if I don’t use it at all, my crop yield will be severely impacted because I live high up in the mountains and the growing period here is severely limited due to low temperatures, high-speed winds and thinner air. There some people who have tried, but the success rate was rather low. We are supposed to have a certain percentage of ecological farmers, but most of them quit because the yield was bad. Since most of the ecological farmers quit due to bad yield, there have been complaints about the limited amount of ecological crops in the stores in the surrounding area, because more people in these days wants to eat healthier.
To conclude, we have realized that the fertilization and pesticides in larger amounts may damage the surrounding water sources such as groundwater, freshwater and the fjords nearby.
He doesn’t have any problems with getting enough water for his farm, but during the dry period, he must get assisted by other farmers to get water enough for his farm.
He never needed to use that much fertilizer, but his crop yield will get severely impacted if he didn’t use it at all. High up in the mountains where he lives, the growing period is shorter due to low temperatures, high-speed winds and thinner air. There are complains around in the shops because most of the ecological farmers quit due to bad yield.
A drawn model of the water cleaning system
Do we have enough water?
By: Amina and Sindre
We did some research and asked some people who we thought would give us answers on the questions we made.
The different questions were about where we get our water from and what happens if we don’t have water anymore. Our plan was to send a mail to some experts, but they didn’t answer our e-mails, so we had to og on google and ask someone we thought could answer.
In 2019, we got new and better cleaning methods. That was because it was going to reduce flavour in the water. Sometimes the water can be a little bit smelly as well, and then we can’t drink the water in a few days. This occurs very rarely.
This is what we found out after our research:
Nesodden gets their drinking water from Bleksli, and some of the water comes from a lead from Asker or Bærum.
The water gets cleaned through a water purification plant that is at Bleksli.
It is limited drinking water sources here on Nesodden, but luckily, we have leads from other places. Summer 2018 was a really hot summer and then we had less water than usual.
From a scale of 1 to 10 of how clean the water is, we would say that our water is a 9. Because it’s very clean, but it can’t be perfect. Sometimes it has been bacteria in our water, and then we had to boil it. But that is very rare.
We wi
ll have a big problem if Nesodden ran out of water, but we would be able to import form other places.
An article on the local sewer system on Nesodden
By: Mattis and Elias
On Nesodden, we have both private and public sewer systems. Most of the houses in Nesodden are a part of a public sewer system. There are three different sewer systems in Nesodden, and each of them relates to its own part of Nesodden. For example, the place around our school relates to one sewer system, and another area in our municipality is related to another sewer system.
One of the sewer systems does not satisfy the daily request as a sewer system, so there are going to be placed sewer pipes under the fjord to a place called Asker, where there is a bigger sewer system. The sewer from the sewer system that does not satisfy the daily request, are then going to be transported under the fjord to the system in Asker.
We in our group wanted to find out more about details of the sewer system in our municipality, so we had an interview with a man in “Nesodden Sewer”. There we asked him some questions we were wondering about.
The interview we had:
Is the sewer in Nesodden dangerous for the nature and the ecosystem with thoughts on the chemical content?
The sewer is not dangerous for the environment as long it’s not going unclean out in the nature. Almost all the wastewater at Nesodden is going under the ground in pipes before it gets cleaned at the treatment plant. After that it is released into the water. Unclean wastewater contains many dangerous materials for humans, plants and animals, but it contains also good nutrients like phosphor. Phosphor is used at the landmarks for the plants and corn to make them grow faster (that is why the harvesters uses cow poop at their fields). If we release the wastewater into a lake, then it will be a massive algae growth. Algae uses the oxygen in the water so other organism dies of oxygen loss. (Fish, crabs and other animals in the water. That’s why we don’t throw wastewater in the nature.
Are there any challenges with the sewer in Nesodden?
The sewer is not dangerous for the environment as long it’s not going unclean out in the nature. Almost all the wastewater in Nesodden, is going under the ground in pipes before it gets to the cleaned at the treatment plant before it gets dropped out. Unclean wastewater contains many dangerous materials for humans, plants and animals, but it contains also good nutrients like, among other things, phosphorus. Phosphorus is used in the farming for the plants and corn to make them grow faster (that is why farmers use cow poop at their fields). If we release the wastewater into a lake, then it will be a massive alga growth.
Alga uses the oxygen in the water so other organism dies of oxygen loss (fish, crabs and other animals in the water). That’s why we don’t throw wastewater in the nature.
Are there any big differences between how the sewer system in Nesodden and other places run?
Sewage treatment in Norway operates just like many other countries. The treatment requirements could vary but it is almost the same. The thing that separate the water treatment in different places, is the emission point for the clean wastewater. If you release clean wastewater into a small lake, the requirements will be bigger. Some of the normal requirements is about the amount of phosphorus you can release into the water/lake.
What kind of chemical materials is there in the sewer of Nesodden?
Sewer contains mostly nutrients, organic materials and microorganism. There are also many rests from medicines, lard and many other things that doesn’t get dissolved. Many things in our sewer isn’t meant to be there.
Do the sewer and the drinking water on Nesodden have something in common?
Absolutely! The sewer contains 97% clean drinking water from showers, sinks and toilets.
How can the sewer affect the groundwater, freshwater and the fjord around Nesodden?
If we have a sewer leak in one of our pipes, then this will flow down to the ground and soon this will hit the groundwater. Some of the houses with drinking water from the groundwater will then be exposed for polluted drinking water if there is a leak in a pipe. When it’s about lakes and seas, then there is, as I said over, growth og algae and different organic materials will lead to oxygen lack.
A picture of how the new sewer system I going to be:
The black line is the sewer pipes that is going to be placed under the fjord. “Buhrestua renseanlegg” is the name of the sewer system that doesn’t satisfy the daily request.
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Veas sewer system does also produce fertilizer from the rests of the sewer.
How roads can pollute water
By: Hedda and Emily
Our group task was to find out more about the drinking water sources and how/if it can get polluted by roads in the area. We made some questions about things we would like to know that we sent to different people that know about the condition of the water and could answer our questions. Sadly, none of them answered so we tried to answer our own questions as well as possible by searching on the internet and using the sources that our teacher recommended for us. Since we never got any answers from the people we asked, we needed to find out the answers ourselves. And by searching on the internet and using some of the links that our teacher sent us, these were the answers we got.
Here are the questions and answers we got:
- Does our drinking water get affected by the roads (gravel, sand etc.)?
The roads can affect the water both while they are being built and when in use. The reason for that is that when for example you build the road, a lot of sand is in use, and some of that often can end up in the water if there is any in the area.
- What is the reason behind water pollution?
Over spring when the snow melts and becomes water, that water gathers with the other water sources, the drinking water too. That snow has been out all winter and contains a lot of emissions form cars and roads that is not meant to go into your body. So, when that snow melts together with our drinking water, the water gets polluted.
- Can groundwater get polluted?
Yes, it can, even though groundwater is found far below the ground it is possible. As an example, it is proven that on the Marshall Islands the water has gotten polluted by earlier nuclear explosions by the USA. This shows that ground water that is not protected by the surface can get polluted.
What kind of particles found in gravel, sand etc. are there that are harmful?
Particles found in gravel, sand etc. that are harmful are pollutants, microplastics and heavy metals from construction sites or from roads in use. Both surface water and ground water can get polluted by these. When roads are in use, can particles from car tires and dust change the quality of water nearby. The most common type of pollutant that affects water is heavy metals from tires and brakes. These metals are zinc and copper. It is also common to find molecules from car exhaust and salts (when it is winter) which is because of imperfect combustion. Imperfect combustion is when there is not enough oxygen for the fuel to oxidize properly. As a result, what should have been carbon dioxide in the exhaust turns into carbon monoxide. Microplastic is also a big polluter, and roads are one of the biggest sources to this. The microplastics come from tires, and it compiles itself in dust and other particles and gets rinsed out with washing liquids. It is almost impossible to get rid of microplastics in nature, so the government has put out barriers for the plastic that stops it from entering nature.
Why can we not drink these particles?
We cannot drink these particles because they are harmful for our bodies. Metals, especially heavy metals, are dangerous in high concentrations. It is even more threatening to your health if they are in the air and you breathe them in. So, drinking metals is less harmful than breathing them. Metals can cause cancer, issues in the nervous system, and issues in the heart and vascular system. Microplastics have a low health risk, according to a report from WHO. Microplastics are therefore not something to worry about. Pollutants are damaging, but there are a lot of things that need to be considered before you can determine if it is harmful or not. Nevertheless, pollutants are toxic. They can cause cancer, heart and vascular disease, as well as damaging the development of infants in many ways.
- Is this a big problem for the drinking water in Nesodden (where we live)?
No, the drinking water in Nesodden is cleansed thoroughly and safe to drink. Some people that live here have gotten a strange flavour or scent in their water, but that is not caused by anything harmful.
In conclusion, the water around roads does get polluted under construction as well as when the roads are in use. The most common particles are pollutants, microplastics and heavy metals. Pollutants and heavy metals are harmful, whereas microplastics are not very harmful. Where we live, the drinking water is perfectly safe and free of pollutants.
Sources:
- https://www.fhi.no/nettpub/hin/miljo/miljogifter/
- https://www.dagsavisen.no/nyheter/verden/who-mikroplast-i-drikkevannet-har-lav-helserisiko-1.1572499
Pictures:
Buildings and constructions – How does it affect us?
by Eline, Nikolai and Emanuel.
Building of apartments and large constructions destroy a lot for the ecological life of nature, and for our drinking water. New buildings being produced comprise 40% of the world’s emissions. That is, it affects both our climate, our water and our animals. But how can we find a way to make this sustainable? Is there already a way? Where we live, in Nesodden, we have seen a great development of new apartments / large buildings in several places. This has been a discussion that has been going on for a long time, but it has now been established that several of these buildings will be built, and some are soon finished.
But it is not just buildings that are harmful to the environment. Large-scale industries that mass produce products in their factories usually do their work as cheap as possible to make the most money from it. And as we know, the cheapest solution is often the worst for the environment.
So, our question is, how does it affect us and the nature? We need to find out!
(This is how one of the new apartments on Nesodden will look like. It is 20 meters away from our school)
Gas stations are some of the most damaging buildings
As said, the picture you see above is one of the new building that have been built in Nesodden. Nineteen years ago, there was a gas station standing right there, and it has left marks. For nearly thirty years the gasstation had been there, and it was clear that when they startet building and digging there to create the apartment, they got shocked. The rocks and dirt under the ground had the highest degree of pollution. So what they did, they removed all dirt and rocks that had high pollution, and replaced it with new and fresh dirt and rocks. They digged out ten thousand tons, and out of those ten thousand tons, nine thousand tons was polluted. That’s just insane thinking about. How heavy marks a small gas station can do to the nature with just existing.
How does the building of new apartments and big structures effect the nature?
We have read up on nature conservation in Norway and it says; In our time, new houses and apartments do not need as much energy as before, because it`s built with renewable energy and has a comfortable indoor climate. It is also increasingly seen that new houses are using solar panels, which are also a good source of natural and renewable energy. The authorities are also putting strict rules when it comes to building houses and other buildings. Among other things, from 2020 it should not be allowed to heat your house with certain oils, that they have found out that are dangerous against climate. Another tip they gave was “Don’t build big“. A large house means a large area to heat and maintain. So here is one thing we can look for when we buy a house or apartment, DON’T GO TO BIG.
How is today’s construction sustainable?
In today’s society, in Norway, not all construction is sustainable, and if it is, it is often marked clearly and sold for a more expensive money. You can build sustainably when it comes to both materials used, interior and electricity. “Today’s society has started to place a great focus on Environment and Sustainable Construction, which puts pressure on the producers, and then there is no other way but the right way”, says Professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Tor Medalen.
Building near the sea – rules
Everyone in Norway who has some kind of passion for nature, has a small dream of a summer place by the water, but it’s not just easy to get one. Only places where a house has previously stood on its own plot, or houses that are already there are allowed to stay. The beach law states that you are not allowed to build within a range of 100m from the sea. This is to take care of the coast, and the life that lives there. We have already seen to a great extent how construction and pollution damage nature, and this rule is absolutely necessary to preserve marine life.
Sources:
https://www.amta.no/bolig/tangen/nesodden/rapporten-er-klar-massene-pa-esso-tomta-var-svart-forurensa/s/5-3-601788?access=granted&access=granted
https://naturvernforbundet.no/pusse-opp-bygge-nytt/bygge-bolig-article32661-3650.html
Agriculture & horticulture
Drinking Water
By Maia and Elsa
On Nesodden we have a lot of good drinking water, however there are still a lot of problems that can arise without us knowing. Nesodden has a lot of problems with bad water quality and a lot of polluted wells. One reason for this is that we have many cabins at Nesodden. The cabins are old and often don’t have connected water. This adds to existing challenges with the quality of our water. As all the other municipalities in Norway, Nesodden tries their best to make the water as clean as possible for the people living here. On the Nesodden Council’s website, our citizens may find information about their focus areas for water quality. One aspect they find important to focus on is sustainability.
Where does the citizens at Nesodden get their drinking water from?
There are 4 municipal waterworks on Nesodden. The residents of Nesodden get their drinking water from Bleksli pond, Kirkeåsen, Jaer school and Fagerstrand.
picture: https://www.google.com/maps/@59.8148841,10.7041486,12z
How secure are these water sources?
These water sources are secure and safe to drink according to Eurofins. Eurofins is the company that does all the tests of the drinking water, in all the different municipal networks. For example, on Bleksli pond, one of the water sources, they use UV-treatment. During UV-treatment the water is disinfected for, parasites, bacteria and viruses. But before the water is sent out to the residents, it is added little chlorine. The chlorine is not dangerous, it is simply just added so we can be sure that the water is totally clean and disinfected. You cannot taste the chlorine.
What can threaten the access to clean water?
Something that can threaten this access is oil and liquid/water. Oil and grease can cause operational problems in the sewer system and in cleansing processes, that again can cause to pollution in the water. Grease can clog the wires in the sewer system, and clogging can again cause to basement flooding and overflow in the system. This grease that sometimes can occur in the system, is also food for the rats that live in the sewer pipes. So to summarize, the grease in the system can lead to problems like clogging in the pipes, channels and in heat exchanges.
Picture from: https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/handlers/bv.ashx/i783dad2c-0226-4d70-887b-bcd55bfe00f9/w800/h534/k9761b3224c5d/img_17002.jpg
We sent a mail to these companies to see if we could get some more information:
Nesodden vannvellforbund: They oversee the drinking water here in Nesodden.
VA: You can call VA if there are any problems with your drinking water.
Norva24 Aqua Power Sandnes: They are a water filtration company.
Haug Entreprenørservice AS: They build pipes for the drinking water to get the water to your tap.
Our questions were:
- We read an article written on Nesodden´s own website were it said that you were going to build a new filtration machine by 2018 but it got delayed so it was not finished before 2019. Why was it delayed and why did we need a new filtration machine?
This is the article:
- Where do Nesodden get their drinking water from?
- What drinking water problems could Nesodden possibly get in the future?
- Have we ever been in a situation were we had a lack of clean drinking water?
We got an email back from 2 of the companies they both said that these questions were hard for them to answer, and that we should send an email to our own commune to get the answers we want.
We then sent a mail to Nesodden Kommune and waited for their answer.
When you try to send an email to the commune it first goes through a help senter. They will write you an automatic mail where it says that your mail has been delivered to the right person. After this you must wait another hour, maybe even days to get an answer.
The 26.03.2020 we got an answer from VA
- It has been a hard process to build the water filtration in Nesodden and even though it said in the article that the system would be finished by 2019 it is still not finished, and they think it will be finished this year. We have had so much trouble with our water that we had to order water from Bærum in the summertime. This is very expensive, so we try to not do it that often, but when the filtration hasn’t been working properly, we haven’t had any other choice. The reason why Nesodden needs a new filtration is because, in the spring and summertime the water from Blekslitjernet has had a weird taste and smell. The water isn’t dangerous to drink, however its not very appetising.
- The places Nesodden gets our water from is Blekslitjernet, Damenga, and Bærum if we need to, but as said this is expensive and we try to avoid buying from them.
- So right now, we don’t have problem with our water, however Nesodden is vulnerable if one of our water systems brake. We know that in a few years we will not be able to have enough water for all the people living in Nesodden. The reason for this is because the population is going to grow massively here the next few years. They have had this thought in the back of their heads for quite some time now, so they will have another water solution in not to long. The solution that’s been the best so far is to build swimming pools that they load up with drinking water.
- We once had a huge problem where we were very vulnerable to our drinking water. It was summer 2018 and a lot of communes in Norway had the same problem. It was so hot that it dried up a lot of our water. This concluded with us ordering water from Bærum. This water is expensive as already mentioned, so the population in Nesodden had to use water only when they really needed to.
Sources:
https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/vei-vann/vann-og-avlop/kommunal-vannforsyning/
Sewage and drainage
By Yngve, Jonathan and Vilmer
A Natural science/social science assignment week 11-14
Sewage and drains
Wastewater and sewage water are most often passed through pipes and sewages under the ground. These pipes are often extended far beyond built up areas. The wastewater consists of liquid waste from different houses and blocks around a city or a village. And sewers consist of feces, urine and sometimes waste (like plastic and etcetera). Usually all municipalities have different municipal drains where pipes lead the wastewater to sewage treatment plants around the city. Then, after the treatment the wastewater is clean and released into the ocean as perfectly clean water.
Wastewater treatment plans and where they are located
Nesodden has three municipal treatment plants, these three treatment plants take ca
re of, and are located at Tangen, Fagerstrand and Kirkevika. The treatment plant at kirkevika does not fulfil today’s requirements on how a treatment plants should be and work, which is why VEAS plans to launch or substitute a new treatment plant nearby. The treatment plans for Fjellstrand, Bjørnemyr and Alværn are not located on Nesodden. The treatment plans for Fjellstrand, Bjørnemyr and Alværn are in Asker. The sewage water from these three areas is led to Asker through underwater pipes in Oslofjorden.
If municipal crisis where to happen
The local drinking-water in Nesodden is safe to drink and it has a very good hygienic quality. Eurofins (accredited laboratory) executes all kinds of analyses on our water tests. If any mistake is discovered on the tests they take, the community will be reminded immediately from the laboratories. When it has been forwarded to the community, the leaders here in Nesodden will message all the inhabitants (via SMS on mobiles) that there is something wrong with the drinking water. If this case is critical, the community will send out a few advices which are wise to follow. If anyone would like more information during one of these situations, updated info will be posted on the community’s website. So, if a leak happens in the drinking-water or the sewer the inhabitants and the town’s population will be updated regarding what has happened very quickly. If a leak were to happen, VEAS would also send out people to inspect and examine some reasons behind the leak.
Sewage and drain
By Mai and Thea
We have three municipal wastewater treatment plants on Nesodden. Some parts of Nesoddens drain go through Asker and the wastewater treatment plants in Asker is called VEAS. Here is a map over Nesodden and our municipal wastewater treatment plants.
foto: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nesodden/@59.8031905,10.5029789,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x46416a150e58a893:0x569d6d19a0be0fcf!8m2!3d59.8042819!4d10.6381967?hl=no
VEAS is a company in Asker, a town nearby Nesodden, as you can see on the map above. Nesodden is the light area that is marked with red. The wastewater from some places at Nesodden get cleansed there. At first, the wastewater gets sucked up from an inlet pump station that lies 23 m underground. Here the garbage is removed from the water, usually its q-tip and plastic. To remove phosphor and other organic substances, chemicals are added. The chemicals cause the small particles to bond with bigger particles, so they sink to the bottom and makes something that is called slam. This is easy to remove from the water instead of the small particles, that’s nearly impossible to just remove. The wastewater gets collected in a treatment plant where they rinse the water from toxic pollution that may be in the water. The purified water is discharged to the nearest sea or river.
Private Water and Drainage
By Agnes and Thomas
Around 2000 properties on Nesodden are not connected to the public (municipal) system for water and drainage. Most of these get their water from a well and has a private drainage solution, such as a septic tank.
In 2008, the municipality checked 988 private wastewater treatment plants, and found out that 80% of these needed ugrading to comply to the Pollution Regulation requirements. Samples were also taken from many wells, where only 23% had a water quality that satisfied the drinking water regulation.
The local government want everybody to be connected to the public system for water and drainage. Sadly, that is not feasible now. Many people want to connect to the public system, because the public water often is better, and the draining system is safer, cleaner and more hygienic. But it is expensive and time consuming and getting everyone on the public water systems is not a high priority by the municipality.
Thomas uncle who has privat water lives in an area where municipal water is not available. And Because they dont have municipal water, they receive water from the well. The water goes through a treatment plant, so the water is as clean as the municipal water.
Where Agnes lives it was different. The water got tested last year and contained many minerals, such as iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium and natron. These minerals aren’t that bad themselves, but the water also contained intestinal bacteria, such as e. coli and coliform, since the well has been to open.
When we found out that the water wasn’t drinkable, we wanted to fix that. We protected the well better, so the water would stay fresh. Last week, we tested the water again. I filled bottles with our tap water and sent them to a laboratory. This is how the testing kit looked:
We got the test results back this week, and it turns out our water is clean for intestinal bacteria! The water still contains heavy metals, so we won`t drink so much of it, but still use it for cooking, washing and brushing our teeth.
How do synthetic soccer fields affect our environment?
If you have ever played soccer or any other sport on a synthetic soccer field, then you have an idea of how annoying the little, black rubber granules can be. You end up finding them everywhere for weeks on end.
But how do they affect our environment and more specifically, the water? This was the question we asked ourselves, and the question we wanted to find out. But first we wanted to understand why we even polluted our environment with these in the first place.
Here are some of the reasons that we have them:
- The synthetic grass can be used more often and always gives the same playing conditions for the athletes
- The synthetic grass can withstand all types of weather. It doesn’t get wet and muddy and the grass doesn’t dry out in warm weather.
- It’s easy to maintain. Natural grass needs to be watered and needs to get cut every so often as well as the white lines must get painted. So synthetic grass saves money.
That is just some of the reasons for having synthetic soccer fields. But not many of them are good reasons. A least not good enough reasons to keep on destroying our environment further.
How many of these granules disappear into the nature?
In Norway we have about 1500 synthetic soccer fields, and among these around 5% of the rubber granules disappear from these soccer fields every year. While 5% does not sound like a lot, it results in about 3-5 tons of rubber waste per synthetic soccer field each year. And most of this rubber waste disappears into our oceans and drinking water. Where it can end up affecting aquatic life and ecosystems.
This is what rubber granules look like.
How do these rubber granules affect our oceans and freshwater sources?
What exactly happens to the rubber granules that wash into our oceans is still a big mystery. But we know that it cannot possibly be good for the environment.
These rubber granules have been found to contain at least 60 different chemicals.
The rubber granules used in the synthetic soccer fields are made of old car tires and have been found to contain over 60 different harmful chemicals in them. And when these rubber granules enter our water, they tend to release toxic chemicals into the ocean, just like plastic does.
I found that the Norwegian authorities did some research on the case, and they conclude that these 60 different chemicals in the rubber granules are not harmful to the soccer players or the environment. But many others still argue that the chemicals may lead to cancer.
Even if these rubber granules cause cancer or not, they still have 60 different, possibly harmful chemicals that we are releasing into our oceans. Do we really want to risk our oceans and wildlife for a good soccer field?
They can affect our food sources.
The more granules released into the ocean, the more the risk of having fish and other aquatic animals consuming them. They might also make the water toxic due to all the chemicals.
These rubber granules can wash into the ocean through the melting snow.
How can we prevent soccer fields from polluting further?
We have found that some soccer fields decide to exchange their rubber granules with granules made of cork instead. These are a lot more environmentally friendly then the rubber ones. But not many soccer fields have started using them. So, we should further encourage the more environmentally friendly version and try to make a difference for the sake of our environment.
This is what cork granules look like. It is a more environmentally safe option for synthetic soccer fields.
Some countries have already taken this into consideration. More European countries are increasingly tightening the ban on artificial grass. For example, there are several places where rubber granules are not allowed like Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Most people believe that by 2020, synthetic grass will be banned in the EU.
How are we contaminating our own drinking water?
BY NORA AND MAILAN
SCIENCE PROJECT, WEEK 11-14
The theme we chose was agriculture and nursery. Even though we have agriculture and nursery we decided to focus more on the nursery. We have two big nurseries’ here at Nesodden, with the biggest one being Schrader nursery. Schrader nursery is one of the biggest in Norway and nursery and they supposedly sell great flowers with low environmental footprint. The other nursery we chose is called Strand nursery.
We started off by creating 9 questions to ask both nurseries. We wanted to ask both nurseries the same questions so we could see the difference.
- Where do you access the water you use? And do you often have any challenges when it comes to accessing water?
- Do you have any alternatives to watering when it´s drying in the summer?
- How much water do you use approximately during a day?
- Do you have any water treatment plants?
- Do you use pesticides in your plants?
- How does fertilization, spraying and other agricultural activities affect groundwater, freshwater and the fjord?
- What do you think is going to help to contaminate groundwater, freshwater, and our fjord?
- If so, what are you doing to prevent this?
So, when we called Strand nursery, they were not into answering our questions, so they gave us very minimal answers. We tried to ask them to elaborate themselves but on a lot of the questions their answer was “I don’t want to comment on that”. Since they gave us so minimal answers, we decided to focus more on Schrader, the bigger company. It might have been that Strand had a very busy day the day that we called, but I don’t think nurseries are that busy in these corona-times. During the lack of information, we decided not to put the answers in our article.
QUESTION AND ANSWERS FROM SCHRADER NURSERY
- Where do you access the water you use?
We collect rainwater from the roofs of the greenhouses. The rainwater is collected into three ponds. Inside the greenhouses we have many large pools that collect irrigation water for reuse and to prevent runoff to the environment.
- Do you often have any challenges when it comes to accessing water?
It’s rare. In extreme summer of drought, we need to use some water from a borehole, but since there’s a little too much lime in it, we need to adjust it to get the right PH-value.
- Do you have alternatives to watering when there is a drought in the summer?
The water we collect doesn’t run out fast. Even a small downpour provides a lot of water. 10 mm of rain of 20,000 sqm provides a lot of water. So, it’s rare we need extra water.
- How much water do you use approximately in a day?
I don’t know that number by heart, but it varies a lot from day to day depending on photosynthesis, solar radiation, temperature, humidity, etc. With a lot of sunlight, there is a high photosynthesis with increased use of co2 and water.
- Do you have any treatment plant for your water?
Yes, the water we collected and store in the pool under the greenhouses goes through a sand filter before it is reused.
- Do you use pesticide in your plants?
Essentially, we use utility animals to fight pests. There are organisms we buy on mail order that live off the pests that can get on the plants. Here you can see some of the useful animals we use: http://www.biobestgroup.com/en/biobest/products/biological-pest-control-4463/#productGroup_4479
If the utility animals do not help, then we may need to spray with approved pesticides. To control the growth of plants, some plants are treated with something called straw shortens. It is also used on, for example, corn fields so that the grain does not become too high and crack in wind and rain.
- How does fertilizing, spraying and other activities in agriculture affect groundwater, fresh water and the fjord?
We grow flowers in a closed environment with the recycling of irrigation water, so there are little emissions from our business. When you say agriculture, it’s a proven term. The vast majority of productions in Norway use little pesticides, because we have a cold climate there are fewer pests than in warmer countries. Runoff from fertilization of fields, both organic and conventional fertilizer provides a runoff of phosphorus and nitrogen that are nutrients in the fertilizer. Especially with heavy rainfall.
- Do you think what you’re doing could help pollute groundwater, fresh water and our fjord?
The supply of too much nitrogen and phosphorus, both from agriculture and sewage (sewage from houses, runoff from horse dung, manhole dung and fertilizer on the fields provides the same pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus). Flower production companies release very little irrigation water as we collect the irrigation water in pools and reuse it until it is empty, so that the plants take up all the nutrients in the water.
- If so, do you do anything to prevent this?
We collect almost all irrigation water; the plants take in about 30% of the water when we water. The rest we collect reuse.
Those who are producing in the fields, such as grains and vegetables, have their own methods for reducing runoff to waterways and water. That can variate between not to plow the field, plant fang crops, plant a belt of vegetation along streams that suck up the nutrients before they enter the water, etc. All farms are required to have a plan for how they handle runoff. What it may be good to be aware of is that vegetables use nitrogen/nitrate to grow so that, for example, a salad leaf contains a lot of nitrate. It is not a poison for us humans, but if there is a lot of it in streams and in the fjord then it can provide algae growth that uses up the oxygen in the water and causes damage to aquatic organisms.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion is that both horticultures take measures to avoid contamination of groundwater, and the fjord. Schrader collects all the irrigation water and uses the water the plants do not take in for recycling. This also makes Strand horticulture, and they have done so for the past 25 years. So, both horticultures do a lot to try their best not to pollute, but the little thing that still pollutes is not easy to avoid. One of the big differences between the two nurseries was that Schrader were much more open about how they treat their water which made it more fun to learn about it.
Schrader nursery
Strand nursery
How can our spare time activities contaminate our own drinking water?
By Ludvig Bruusgaard Torsvik and Trygve Lien Kjølseth.
People on Nesodden enjoy outdoor activities and experiencing the beautiful Norwegian nature. How does this affect the water quality and biodiversity of lakes, streams and fjords?
We can start with the different artificial turfs in Nesodden. The soccer fields we make here in Norway is an artificial turf filled with small pieces of rubber. These rubber pieces are put there to give better cushioning but can also hurt the environment and the biodiversity where we live and in our oceans.
In an interview with Ellen Lien who worked with environmental protection here in Nesodden we asked her these questions:
Where does the rubber pieces from the artificial soccer fields end up?
- They can end up in the forests close to the soccer fields and can get washed into our oceans by the rains and our rivers. On a more trivial note, they can be quite annoying too, because the get into socks and shoes and get brought home.
How can we try to stop the spreading of the rubber pieces?
- One thing you can do to prevent the spreading is making a physical barrier, like a wall or a moat to collect them. Another thing you can do is being more careful when we plough snow away from the field as the snow is often filled with the rubber pieces.
Ellen Lien answered that physical barriers could be set up, a proposal that the Ministry of Climate and Environment also has come with. According to the Ministry of Climate and Environment, barriers could reduce emissions of artificial grass knots by up to 98%.
What can be consequence of the small rubber piece spreading?
- Streams and rivers can transport the rubber pieces to lakes and our oceans.
There it will pollute the water and possibly be eaten by birds and fish for which, in the worst case, can be fatal.
In the winter there’s usually is a thick layer of snow in Nesodden. This means there’s also good skiing opportunities.
We asked Ellen a few questions about the fluoride in the ski track which there is plenty of roundabout in Nesodden. Fluoride is a substance which they out in all sorts of products, mainly toothpaste but also in thing like ski waxes. When you are out skiing the wax will eventually fall off bit by bit which leaves trace amounts of fluoride in the ski tracks.
Many companies add fluoride to their ski waxes, does this mean that there is more fluoride in the ground than around ski tracks than other places?
- I don’t know, and I don’t think they have measured, but other places measures show that earthworms that live around ski tracks have very high amounts of fluoride.
What can the consequences of too high fluorite value be?
- Fluorite is poisonous, it builds up in the food chain and makes animals potentially fatal ill. Fluorite also makes heavy metal build up in the body easier.
The answer was found on Dagbladet, a Norwegian newspaper.
There are many other ways our water can be contaminated. One thing that can
be potentially dangerous is faecal matter in our drinking water. It is very rare that faecally contaminated water gets through unpurified but faecal matter can seep through the water transportation pipes if they get damaged.
Many people walk their dog or ride horses around our nearest lake and water supply, the Blekslitjern. Their animal’s faeces may get into our water, what can the consequences of this be?
Bacteria from the faeces may get into our water and can make us seriously ill.
What can you do to prevent this?
Inform people by setting up signs in the catchment area to Blekslitjern. if they have problems with people taking baths in Blekslitjern, they can do as they did in Maridalsvannet in Oslo and put up fences.
Faecal contamination is not very dangerous unless it’s very severe or it is seeping into waterpipes after the water has been purified. In question 2 Ellen says that in some drinking water lakes, people are taking baths, this is not a problem at Blekslitjern.
https://www.dagbladet.no/sport/skremt-av-fluorfunn-i-granasen/71780184
https://www.dagbladet.no/sport/loypene-er-forgiftet/71918053
https://www.fhi.no/nettpub/stoffer-i-drikkevann/om-stoffer-i-drikkevann/om-stoffer-i-drikkevann/
Water pollution from the road
Water pollution from the road
By: Haldis and Flora
Norway is known for having good water. And Nesodden is a place sur
rounded by water on both sides. Our task was to find facts about how the road construction, salting, gritting and run off form the polluted masses affects the water community.
Nesodden have 4 municipal water works. They are in the places called: Bleksli (1) , Kirkeåsen (2) , Jaer school (3) and Fagerstrand (4).
Facts about how the water quality on Nesodden is affected by the roadwork
When its roadworks, poisoned chemicals can flow down into lakes and rivers. The same can happen with groundwater and with chemicals from explosives.
The biggest problem is micro-plastic. Microplastic can come from for example wear from car wheels. This can cause that micro- plastic will fall into our ocean. Since July 2018, every water supply system in Nesodden approved by the health ministry in Norway. The water can be dangerous. But our country has the sources to clean the water luckily.
And according to Nesodden’s website it says that the water we get are clean and healthy. And that they will warn us, if something is wrong. That will affect the water quality.
Conclusion
So as a conclusion, the water her on Nesodden is not affected by the chemicals from the road. Because we have a cleaning system that makes the water clean
Sources: https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/priser-og-avgifter/kommunale-avgifter-for-vann-avlop-slam-renovasjon-og-feiing/engangsgebyr-for-tilknytning-til-kommunalt-vann-og-avlop.13117.aspxhttps://www.vegvesen.no/fag/fokusomrader/miljo+og+omgivelser/forurensning/saltskaderhttps://www.nesodden.kommune.no/vei-vann/vann-og-avlop/kommunal-vannforsyning/https://www.vegvesen.no/fag/fokusomrader/miljo+og+omgivelser/forurensning/vann
the waterglass foto (Foto: Microstock)
the map foto-http://www.nesoddendans.com/kart%20over%20nesodden/nesodden.gif
How does our Water and Drainage system work on our peninsula, Nesodden?
This article is written by Casper, Kristine, Tonje, Emma and Sofia GH.
We are going to tell you a bit about how our council mangage our water waste, drains and sewage on Nesodden. How is it handled, and are there any problems and challenges connected with it.
What is wastewater and sewage?
Wastewater is sewage, rainwater and more that is coming from households, and gets transported underground in pipes. Wastewater is water that is degraded in quality (contaminated) due to the influence of man-made processes.
Sewage and drains on Nesodden
On Nesodden, there are three different sewage treatment plants, but one of them doesn´t meet the requirements. About 2000 properties aren´t connected to public water and drains, but some people have private sewer systems. Many of them are old, and may pollute the groundwater, private drinking water wells and streams and lakes.
Almost all drains on Nesodden are getting transported in pipes underground. Some houses aren´t connected to the sewage system because houses are scattered. And it is too expensive to connect to the system. Therefore, not all sewage is transported to the sewage treatment plants.
Have sewage and drains created problems on Nesodden?
Sewage and drains do not cause problems by themselves. What causes problems is that people throw products in the toilet that do not belong in the drain. For example, they throw wet wipes, cotton buds, food waste, grease and much more. Wet wipes do not dissolve, they stick to the pumps, so they clog and are blocked. Cotton buds do not dissolve and block pipes and pumps. Food waste becomes food for rats living in the sewage pipes. Many rats lead to blocked drainage pipes. Grease is thin liquid in warm water, but it solidifies when it meets cold water. People throw a lot of weird stuff in the toilet, there are problems with pumps and drains almost every day. This is expensive for Nesodden.
Maintenance and progress work of drain pipes
The existing drain system has stayed unchanged for many years. However, new changes and materials have made it better now. A while ago we had wooden pipes. They made some problems because they rotted. Now we have plastic pipes which are stronger.
In the future, all wastewater on Nesodden will be pumped over to VEAS (a sewage treatment plant in across the fjord in Asker, se map). Now, people are laying pipes across the water from the west side of our peninsula, Alværn to Asker.
Summary
The sewage at Nesodden being transported through plastic pipes to the sewage treatment plants across the fjord from where we live. At Nesodden we have three, but many houses aren’t connected to them. The problems with sewage and drains are when people throw garbage in the toilet instead of the trash can.
Our sources:
https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/vei-vann/vann-og-avlop/kommunale-avlopstjenester/ (23.3.2020)
https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/vei-vann/vann-og-avlop/ (23.3.2020)
https://www.nesodden.kommune.no/vei-vann/vann-og-avlop/tilkobling-offentlig-vann-og-avlopsnett/ (23.3.2020)
Jon Petter Johnsen (Project Manager at Nesodden)
