It is no secret that various types of environmental pollution can be found in Latvia, which in total make up more than 3,500 polluted and potentially contaminated sites. Some of them are located further and others closer to populated areas. The story of the origin of each polluted place and the extent of pollution are different from others, but the result is the same – a polluted environment and a threat to the health of the surrounding residents. And it is not only us who are at risk, but also our future generations.
Some of the polluted places are historically polluted places, where the “polluter pays” principle cannot be applied because the person responsible for contamination no longer exists and there is no direct successor of such a person, and the State or local authorities could not prevent such contamination.
One of such historically polluted places is the heavy fuel oil storage of Viški Vocational Secondary School. It is located in Viški parich, approximately 500 meters from two lakes – Lake Lukna and Lake Viški, and although a protective embankment was once created around the polluted site, the risk of pollution getting into the groundwater and further into the surrounding water bodies increases every year, contaminating both drinking water and creating a local ecological disaster. It is our responsibility to act today to eliminate potential threats and leave a cleaner environment for our children and their children.
In the summer of 2021, with the support of Norway grants, an ambitious project was launched, as a result of which the sources of pollution of the Viški Vocational Secondary School heavy fuel oil storage will be eliminated by 2024, and almost 20,000 residents of the former Daugavpils region will benefit from the reduced risk of pollution.
Read on and learn more about the Viški Vocational Secondary School’s heavy fuel oil storage facility and its remediation, i.e. cleaning and rehabilitating the contaminated area, at least to such an extent that human health or the environment is no longer endangered!
To introduce the wider society to the pollution caused by the Viški Vocational Secondary School’s heavy fuel oil storage, its potential impact and future plans in relation with the soon-to-be remediation of this area, information is provided by Jānis Proms, the head of the Višķi Parish of the Augšdaugava Municipality, and Juta Valaine, the Project Coordinator of the Augšdaugava County Council:
– Tell us about the Viški Vocational Secondary School heavy fuel oil storage facility.
J. Proms: “Viški Vocational Secondary School heavy fuel oil storage is located in the current territory of Viški Technical School. The heavy fuel oil storage facility was built in the 1960s to provide the central heating system of Viški Technical School, Viški and Špoģi villages, which operated until the mid-1970s. Historically, the contaminated site arose because after the end of active operation and use, heavy fuel oil tanks were left unused and were not properly dismantled. Around the fuel oil tanks there is a protective embankment that was created in the past, and inside it, the fuel oil spilled from the tanks has accumulated in a thick layer. Thanks to the fact that the previously built protective rampart was built in a high-quality layer with a thick layer of clay, pebbles and sand, currently pollution from heavy fuel oil does not pass through these layers and currently we are not temporarily threatened by the leakage of heavy fuel oil directly into the groundwater. The biggest problem would arise if this area was not cleaned in the future, because the soil and the created protective embankment continue to degrade and heavy fuel oil could enter the groundwater.”
– Why is it important to clean this historically polluted place?
J. Proms: “The most important reason why it is essential to clean this historically polluted place is to prevent the surrounding groundwater from being polluted. It should also be taken into account that there are two water tanks created in deep wells in the area, from which water is pumped and supplied to two surrounding villages (Viški and Spoģi), as well as there are two lakes nearby – Lake Lukna and Lake Viški. Also, there are many private residential houses in the vicinity, which have wells in their yards, and pollution would threaten the potential water quality of these wells as well. Also, if the pollution were to get into the groundwater, it would have a negative impact not only on the surrounding residents, but also on the surrounding environment and would degrade the picturesque landscapes currently visible around.”
– What methods or technical solutions are planned to clean the territory?
J. Valaine: “The project is very carefully and strictly controlled and monitored by the State Environmental Service (SES), and even before financial resources were available for the remediation of a historically polluted site, the SES often indicated what should be done in this area. In cooperation with SES Latgale’s regional administration, the remediation task of this polluted place was developed, where it was strictly defined what to do, and we rely on professionals on that. When making a procurement, the technical specification also provides for these technical matters, and further on, at the execution of the works, you will be able to see how the works are carried out.”
– What will be the benefits for the municipality from the realization of this project?
J. Proms: “The biggest benefit will be that we will be able to be calm in the future that we are not threatened by this pollution and that groundwater, and the surrounding area will not be polluted. Of course, the biggest benefit is that we will give this area to our future generations, who will be able to live here safely and develop this beautiful place.”
Keep an eye on the development of the project and already in the fall observe how the remediation works of the territory are going in practice, so that you can get acquainted with the cleared territory as early as 2024!
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