Metals at the beach. How toxic substances are impacting urban soil and Lake Mälaren
By: Fanny Lundin, Anna Arsenova, Iuliia Raikova and Laurel Salé-Hook
Soil is a fundamental building block of Earth, however, soil health is threatened by contaminations from human activities such as industries and boat harbours. In Järfälla municipality, the area Bolinder Strand has a long industrial history before it became a residential area. Bolinder Strand is located by Lake Mälaren, and the two local boat clubs in the area are high-risk areas for soil contaminations. The aim of this report was to understand the state and effects of contamination in Bolinder Strand and provide recommendations for future management. Three questions were addressed, which focus on contaminants present, management of soil, and suitable remediation techniques. The methods used for the study were four thematic literature reviews with focuses on case studies, scientific literature and general policy documents; three semi-structured interviews, significant document analysis and a stakeholder assessment. The results indicated the importance of understanding the roles and influence of the stakeholders involved in the decisions and management of contaminated soil. It was also clear that a variation of contaminants was found in Bolinder Strand, where the challenge lay in the lack of consistency in assessments and data availability. Excavation was the most common method used to remediate Bolinder Strand’s soil for development. However, there are several other possible remediation techniques, such as bioremediation, which could be given more consideration. There is insufficient data on the state of soil pollution within the boat clubs, which suggests a knowledge gap and opportunity for improvement. These results indicate significant limitations and challenges to properly managing soil contamination, leading to three themes of recommendations being proposed regarding policy, general management and data availability. Soil contamination is a complex field of study which requires knowledge and understanding of multiple fields. Bolinder Strand was challenging to address with its history and development in different stages over two decades. Areas with a “cocktail mix” of contaminants, as in Bolinder Strand, are difficult to suggest specific remediation techniques for due to the complexities to consider such as soil composition, cost and effectiveness.
