Oil-contaminated soil removed from excavators in Lemmenjoki

Yle reports that oil has leaked into the ground from old excavators left in Lemmenjoki National Park in Inari, years after mechanised gold mining ended there.

Metsähallitus Nature Services removed contaminated soil from beneath three machines. Gold miners donated the excavators to Metsähallitus as memorials to the area’s mining history. They stand along Lemmenjoki’s Gold Trail.

In early October, workers removed 22 bags of contaminated soil, weighing an estimated total of just under 700 kilograms. The matter was reported to the Permit and Supervisory Authority.

Samples from nearby streams and pools showed that the oil had not spread into the water, according to Metsähallitus. Contaminated soil was fully removed from beneath one excavator. Samples taken beneath two machines at another location still exceeded threshold values, and the authority will decide what further action is needed.

The contaminated soil has been bagged and protected. It will remain in the national park until conditions allow it to be transported out by snowmobile.