Treatment plant seeks answers as foam spills into Kongeåen

Foam has been pouring from a wastewater treatment plant in Vamdrup near Kolding and has now reached the Kongeåen river, DR reports. The utility company Blue Kolding says it does not know where the foam is coming from and is asking the public for help.

The first white, whipped-cream-like foam appeared on Wednesday, and the problem has continued to worsen. Blue Kolding communications manager Tue Knudsen described the scene as “a bathtub that has gone out of control.”

Blue Kolding asked the municipality’s environmental emergency service to inspect the situation. The immediate assessment is that the foam is not dangerous. Tests have shown only a slight drop in the water’s oxygen content, Knudsen said.

“People walking along the Kongeåen who see some of this foam should not be alarmed,” he said.

Blue Kolding has taken samples that are expected to show within a few days what the foam is made of. The company knows that it originated in Vamdrup or the surrounding area, but has no further explanation.

Anyone who sees foam near a manhole or elsewhere is asked to contact Blue Kolding on 76 36 36 36.