Authorities assess oil reaching Haukivesi shores after spill

Authorities are assessing how much oil from Tuesday’s spill has reached the shores and islands of Haukivesi lake, Yle reports. The South Savo rescue department and Metsähallitus are carrying out the survey on Thursday.

Hundreds of litres of engine oil entered the waterway in the spill in Rantasalmi. The oil is visible as a thin film on the water’s surface and has collected along the shores.

The rescue department said the netting of oil slicks ended on Wednesday. Shoreline cleaning will begin next, but the follow-up response may take several weeks.

Experts and volunteers from WWF, an environmental organisation, will arrive on Friday to assess the scale of the clean-up operation and test different methods for removing oil from the environment.

Landowners and people in the area are asked not to clean the shores or oil-contaminated animals themselves. Oil sightings should be reported to the authorities responsible for the response. Reports of oil slicks and possibly contaminated animals can currently be made to the duty fire chief on 0201 334 408.

Use of lake water is also prohibited in the affected area.