Contaminated sites
Sweden’s long industrial history has left behind a large number of contaminated sites. These sites must be investigated, evaluated, and, if necessary, remediated.
Contaminated sites are often related to industrial activities and a result of inadequate management of chemicals and/or waste, or from inadequate or non-existent treatment of wastewater. Contamination has been caused by both public enterprises and private companies. In many cases, contamination has been caused by substances, operations, or waste disposal methods that are not in accordance with current environmental legislation.
Impact
Pollution can result in the dispersal of hazardous substances in soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water. At some sites, the contamination may pose a risk to human health, cause irreversible environmental damage, or make the land unsuitable for certain types of land use.
Remediation or other actions
Remediation or other actions are needed when a land or water area, a building, or a facility is contaminated to such an extent that it poses unacceptable risks to human health, the environment, or natural resources. The main goal of such actions are to reduce the risks to acceptable levels.
The role of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA) is to coordinate, prioritise, provide guidance, and follow up on the remediation of contaminated sites at a national level. The Swedish EPA also administers governmental grants for the remediation of contaminated sites and evaluates the effects of the work. Furthermore, the Swedish EPA is involved in international cooperation concerning remediation of contaminated sites both within the EU and globally.
Compendium
The Swedish EPA has compiled a compendium that describes the process of cleaning up contaminated sites in Sweden. This compendium is intended to be a complement to be used in our international cooperation and is intended to provide an overview of how the process looks in Sweden with regard to Swedish legislation and working methods.
The first part of the compendium provides a brief introduction to the Swedish system, including how Sweden is governed and the driving forces behind the environmental work linked to the remediation of contaminated sites in Sweden. It also describes the tools available to achieve the goals set to ensure a safe environment for present and future generations.
The second part of this compendium describes the process behind the remediation of contaminated sites. It describes all the steps involved in the process, from the identification of a contaminated site to choosing an appropriate remediation method.
The compendium is a summary of our existing national guidance and includes references to more detailed reports in English when available.
The compendium will be updated as necessary to follow changes in legislation and national guidance.
Compendium Remediation of contaminated sites in Sweden 2021 (pdf)
Environmental law in remediation of contaminated sites
In Sweden the Environmental Protection Act from 1969 dramatically strengthened the role of the State in the protection of the environment. In 1989, these provisions were strengthened to be able to apportion responsibility for remediation of sites solely on the fact that a site was contaminated.
The Environmental Code is Sweden’s most comprehensive environmental legislation and entered into force on 1 January 1999. The Environmental Code was based on 15 environmental acts that were all reviewed and consolidated into one single act.
Chapter 10 of the Environmental Code contains provisions on contaminated sites and their cleanup. It states that the operator, who currently operates or previously operated a site that is contaminated, is considered liable for carrying out investigations and if necessary, remediation, of the site. The above is based on what is often called the "Polluter Pays Principle". However, if a polluting activity ceased before the introduction of the Environmental Protection Act in 1969, the polluter cannot be held liable. If a responsible polluter cannot be identified or held accountable, public funds can be used to conduct investigations and remediation. This funding is administered by the Swedish EPA.
Stakeholders involved in the remediation of contaminated sites
The Swedish EPA has been working with remediation of contaminated sites for several decades together with the County Administrative Boards and local municipalities. But there are many other organizations contributing to the work on remediation of contaminated sites – including the Geological Survey of Sweden, the Swedish Geotechnical Institute and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, as well as universities and private operators.
The Swedish Geotechnical Society and "the Clean Soil Network" are non-profit networks of organizations including consultants, researchers, authorities, and remedial contractors, which coordinate the exchange of information and experiences in meetings, conferences, and courses.
National inventory of potentially contaminated sites
In order to identify contaminated sites in Sweden, the County Administrative Boards, with the support of the Swedish EPA, have carried out a comprehensive inventory of sites that previously had, or currently have, operations that may cause contamination of soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater. Examples of such activities are the chemical industry, dry cleaning, mines, or sawmills.
A major part of the inventory was carried out between 1999 and 2015 and resulted in the identification of approximately 85,000 potentially contaminated sites in Sweden, of which around 27,300 sites are classified according to potential risk. About 1,200 of these sites are classified as risk class 1 and may constitute a "Very high risk to human health and the environment”, and around 8,500 sites are classified as risk class 2, "High risk to human health and the environment". Identifying a site as risk class 1 during the inventory does not necessarily mean it is contaminated to such an extent that it constitutes a very high risk to human health and the environment. Site investigations and studies have to be conducted to verify whether the site truly is contaminated.
The inventory is made according to the Swedish EPA’s methodology for inventorying contaminated areas (MIFO). Parts of the content of the report are out of date due to changes in legislation. For instance, the generic guideline values and the model used to derive them have been revised since the publication of the report.
Sites in risk class 1 and 2 are prioritised to receive funding from the Swedish EPA to be investigated and, if needed, remediated. Today, approximately 200 of the most severely contaminated sites in Sweden have been remediated with funding from the Swedish EPA.
As new knowledge and substances emerge, there is a need to continue the inventory work of contaminated sites in Sweden. Identification involves locating sites where there is or has been an activity that may have contaminated the site. The knowledge on which contaminants are commonly found in soil or sediment in areas with different industries are gathered in the so-called industry list. The list is based on results from inventories of industries as well as data collected during field investigations. The industry list can be used as a starting point for the identification of potential contaminated sites and can also be used to support the selection of which compounds should be analysed during field investigations.