Drinking tap water is no longer possible in this city of Norway

Oabout 2,600 inhabitants of Longyearbyen, in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, are no longer able to drink tap water safely. It is about water contamination by heavy metals, in one of the places where the impact of climate change is suffering most rapidly.

According to the international publications, the city's main source of drinking water comes from Lake Isdammen, also known as the Ice Lagoon.

Scientists who have analysed the results made to the water in question argue that climate change is the source of this situation, which has caused the thaw of the subsoil layer called permafrost. The thaw causes exposure of rocky materials, which in turn release metals into the water.

According to the studies done, Longyearbyen, which is 1,287 kilometers from the North Pole, is at heat at a rate between five and seven times higher the overall average, with temperatures rising 4oC every 10 years. 

“The combination of permafrost thaw and shale matrix rock, which contains a mineral called pyrite – or ‘fool gold’, due to its golden and metallic appearance – is causing contamination of water supply,” said Marjolaine Verret, expert in permafrost and associate Arctic geology teacher at Svalbard University Center.

According to what you detailed, when this mineral comes into contact with water and oxygen, it eventually oxidizes. The problem in the case of this Norwegian city began with the presence of manganese in water, toxic when consumed in excess and for long periods.

The municipality began by alerting residents about the poor water quality in September last year, when analyses revealed that manganese levels were 25 times the limit of 50 micrograms per liter recommended by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

According to Terje Aunevik, mayor of the city, drinking water levels were never good, but due to the presence of sediment, manganese levels “fired”.

Prolonged exposure of this metal to water may cause neurological problems, particularly in children and babies.

After the first warning, as of last year, emergency measures have been put into practice, such as the installation of a water purification plant, and, although manganese levels have dropped, it has already been found that sulphate and nickel levels exceed the recommended limits for drinking water. That being said, the ban remains in force.

“In Norway, where we have always been sure that we can drink tap water, it is a challenge to start thinking that we need to carry our own water, as we do now. Other small communities should be cautious and start reflecting on what to do if something similar happens to their sources of supply”, said the mayor, realizing that even solutions such as power plants to purify are “extremely expensive” – and sometimes even because of maintenance, given the low temperatures.

Specialist Marjolaine Verret and other scientists have been warning that what is happening in Longyearbyen is a warning to what will follow to other communities in the Arctic area: “ These elements [pyrite-rich rock and heavy metals] and the permafrost thaw are present in other parts of the Arctic, so this may be a first example of how climate change can impact fresh water, for example, in northern Canada and Alaska.”