Local authorities in Verdal want to develop an internationally important river delta into an industrial area.


Map showing the breakwather in the river delta.

 Ørin is the name of the delta area where the river Verdalselva flows out into the Trondheimsfjord. The delta comprises extensive mudflats and sand-banks which are exposed at low tide. Within the delta system there is a large grass meadow, Sea-buckthorn scrub and a small pine wood.

 Ørin Industrial Park, Aker Verdal and Verdal Harbour are on the south side of the delta. This area was reclaimed from the sea in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and was formerly part of the shoreline between Rinnleiret and Ørin.

 In 1988 a large storage site in a mountain was opened in the Verdal district. A lot of stone needed to be disposed of, and it was suggested that this could be used to expand the industrial park such that it could be further developed. The local authorities agreed to extend the industrial park to the north. A 600 decare part of the river delta was therefore regulated as industrial land, and the stone from the storage site was used to build a breakwater around the whole site.

 The area has remained enclosed by the breakwater since 1988. But now the local authorities plan to fill in the area. In order to achieve this, they want to pump over 2 million cubic metres of material from outside the breakwater. Such an operation requires that an environmental impact assessment is carried out. Several biological and geological surveys have been carried out in the area since summer 2001.

 The local council in Verdal had hoped to avoid the need for an environmental impact assessment of the area inside the breakwater, and have already begun to gradually fill in the area. The Norwegian Ornithological Society (NOF) have complained about this on several occasions. Following recommendations from the Department of the Environment (MD) in spring 2002, the local council have now stopped all work within the breakwater. The council have also been advised to make a new regulation plan for the area, wherein they must take better heed to the environmental values of the river delta.

 There are signs that the local council want to reduce the total area of the northern part (Ørin-Nord), but that they, despite massive protests, still want to reclaim more land within the breakwater.

 The Norwegian Ornithological Society have amassed a vast amount of information from the Ørin area in particular and the river delta in general since the 1980’s. In various reports, including those from The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management (DN), Ørin is mentioned as being of international importance. In autumn 2002 part of the river delta received international status under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The need to consider the whole delta system and it’s importance means that any negative activities within the area will reduce the value of the site.

 The importance of the Ørin delta means that the proposed development plans are among the worst environmental threats in Norway at the present time.

 Reclamation of the area within the breakwater will mean that Norway will break several of the international conventions to which it is a signatory nation.