Volunteers find reed canary grass best for Saimaa oil spill

Reed canary grass has proved the most effective material for collecting oil from Lake Saimaa, Yle reports. Cleanup work at Haukivesi in Rantasalmi was halted by rain and strong winds over the weekend.

Volunteer oil response teams from the environmental organisation WWF and local volunteers cleaned the shoreline on Friday and Saturday. Seven people took part on Friday, while around 15 volunteers joined the work on Saturday.

One bay where authorities had found the most oil was cleaned on Saturday. The work was stopped in the afternoon as the weather became wetter and windier. It could not resume on Sunday, and Rantasalmi officials will discuss continuing the cleanup on Monday.

Reed canary grass absorbs oil but not water

Oil from the spill is floating on the water in a thin film. It is being collected at the shore and transferred to absorbent materials.

WWF said volunteers used crushed reed canary grass to collect oil from the water on Saturday. The dried and crushed grass absorbs oil but not water. It is scattered across the surface, after which the grass and the oil attached to it can be collected. The resulting oil and grass mixture is classified as hazardous waste.

The spill occurred on Tuesday, August 18, when hundreds of litres of engine oil leaked from a tank on a cargo vessel into Haukivesi. The affected area partly extends into Linnansaari National Park.

Oil has been found at two larger locations and at several isolated points. Rantasalmi has so far reported no oil-contaminated animals. WWF volunteers are cleaning the shores and caring for oiled birds under the supervision of authorities.

People should report sightings of oil or oil-contaminated animals to Heidi Käyhkö, the municipality’s environmental expert. The public should not attempt to clean the oil themselves.

Movement within the affected area should be avoided during the cleanup, as boating could spread the oil further. Itä-Savo environmental health authorities have also banned the use of lake water in the affected area for anything that could expose people or animals to oil.

Police are investigating the events that led to the spill. The area is significant because endangered Saimaa ringed seals live and breed there, although oil is considered less harmful to them than to birds.