Høyanger residents demand answers after years of unsafe water

Residents in Høyanger are preparing for a public meeting on Wednesday evening following revelations that Kyrkjebø waterworks has supplied drinking water with dangerously high aluminium levels for years, Dagbladet reports.

The municipality has now issued a drinking ban, advising around 700 households to avoid using the water for drinking or cooking. Residents must currently collect drinking water from emergency tanks.

Siv Helen Lillehauge Bjørsvik, a local mother of two, first alerted the municipality to elevated aluminium levels in November 2025 after testing her own water supply. She received no clear response. The municipality only issued its warning last week, despite internal documents showing the problem may date back to 2006.

“It’s terrifying,” Lillehauge Bjørsvik told Dagbladet. “My children have been drinking this water their entire lives.” She has prepared 32 questions for the meeting, demanding accountability and concrete action. Among her concerns: whether the water is safe for brushing teeth, why residents were not informed sooner, and when the supply will be safe again.

Measurements by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health show aluminium levels averaging 0.54 mg/l, with peaks at 0.84 mg/l—far exceeding the 0.2 mg/l safety limit. The contamination poses particular risks to young children, and the municipality has called in all children aged 0–3 who have lived in Kyrkjebø since 2021 for medical follow-up.

Lillehauge Bjørsvik, who has long noticed the water’s odd taste and colour, said trust in local authorities has been severely damaged. “I always believed the water was safe. That trust has been shattered.”

Mayor Petter Sortland (Labour) has confirmed the municipality knew of the issue in 2021 but has not responded to Dagbladet’s repeated requests for comment. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority, which oversees municipal water supplies, has also not provided full answers.

Researcher Trine Husøy of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health noted that animal studies have shown aluminium exposure can affect the nervous system, particularly in the young.