Danish mayors demand state funding as 60 municipalities face nitrate pollution in drinking water
A majority of Danish mayors are calling on the central government to cover the costs of removing cancer-causing nitrate from drinking water, after an expert panel proposed stricter limits that would affect 60 municipalities, reports DR.
The current legal limit for nitrate in drinking water is 50 milligrams per litre, but an international expert group recently recommended reducing it to 6 milligrams to lower the risk of colorectal cancer. According to Danva, the industry association for water utilities, 60 municipalities already exceed the proposed limit in at least one water sample.
“This is the right path if we want to reduce cancer risks, but the state must take responsibility,” said Lasse Frimand Jensen (Social Democrats), mayor of Aalborg, where the city council last year approved a 645 million kroner (€86.5 million) plan to cut nitrate levels to 15 milligrams per litre—costing households 1,000 kroner (€134) annually for a decade.
Nationwide, Danva estimates compliance with the 6-milligram limit would cost water utilities 190 million kroner (€25.5 million) per year for 30 years, equivalent to 500 kroner (€67) annually per household. Solutions include deeper wells, blending with cleaner water, or closing contaminated boreholes.
Mayors in affected areas—particularly in northern and eastern Jutland, where agricultural runoff seeps quickly into groundwater—insist the burden should not fall on local ratepayers. “Drinking water is a national responsibility,” said Kasper Bjerregaard (Venstre), mayor of Norddjurs, where five water plants exceed the proposed limit. “We need clarity on funding before we act.”
Per Bach Laursen (Venstre), mayor of Vesthimmerland, argued that geographic disparities in soil conditions mean state intervention is necessary: “No one has broken the law, but our laws don’t account for Denmark’s varied geography.”
Political parties have begun weighing in ahead of the 2026 election. Inger Støjberg, leader of the Denmark Democrats, supports state funding but opposes charging farmers, stating, “They followed the rules in place at the time.” Franciska Rosenkilde of the Alternativet party called the situation “a massive failure of political responsibility,” while Morten Messerschmidt of the Danish People’s Party framed clean drinking water as “a societal obligation on par with healthcare.”
Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke (Social Democrats) declared the issue a “priority” before parliament dissolved for the election, but no funding mechanism has been proposed.