Thorough and correct decision-making needs to be based on well-documented facts. When it comes to deciding whether or not to spend large sums of money on environmental remediation, for instance, it is vital to have a professional consultant who can document the details of the environmental pollution.
For the river Kymijoki in south-western Finland, one of the most polluted rivers in world, Ramboll was asked by the local authority to implement an EIA, plan the remediation of contaminated sediments and make an evaluation of the remediation feasibility of these highly polluted sediments.
Sediments of the river
The sediments of the river contain dioxins, furans and mercury which are from industrial use. As far as dioxins and furans are concerned, the river Kymijoki is rated as one of the most polluted rivers in the world.
The local environmental authority needed professional information to decide whether or not to execute the remediation work in the river section between Kuusaansaari and Keltti.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the feasibility study conducted by Ramboll played a central role in the customer's decision-making. On the strength of Ramboll's assessments, the customer decided not to execute the remediation project.
The benefits of the remediation project were not significant, taking the disadvantages into consideration.