Water environment at Iggesund Mill

Iggesund Mill is located on the narrow inlets of Iggesundsfjärden and Gårdsfjärden, which have low water turnover.

The company takes part in the programme for coordinated monitoring of receiving bodies of water in the north-eastern part of county Hälsingland which refers to monitoring of the environmental effects of different activities in different catchment areas and in the coastal waters.

For annual data on reported emissions to water from the Iggesunds Mill please see the Invercote Environmental Declaration.

Strong improvement of marine environment during the last 30 years

The mill's emissions of eutrophicating substances have fallen sharply since the 1980s. In trial fishing in 1987, the fish life in Gårdsfjärden was characterised as typical of areas of water high in nutrients. Some changes in the direction of more normal status were noted in 1996, but fish production remained high and with a preponderance of the carp family.

Recovery proceeds slowly in such enclosed areas as Gårdsfjärden, where large amounts of organic material and mineral nutrients from earlier emissions have accumulated on the bottoms.

In 1996 impairment of liver function and reproduction was observed in perch in Gårdsfjärden. However, growth and survival were normal. Further studies of perch in the waters off Iggesund were performed, with similar results to those found in the study in 1996.

Reproductive studies were performed on both perch and zebra fish in 2001 and 2002. The results show that perch that have spawned in the receiving body of water produce eggs with just as good hatchability and larval survival as the perch in an unaffected reference area, and the studies in the laboratory on zebra fish did not indicate any effects.