Iceland review - 2017, Síða 74

MINING IN MÝVATN
Before tourism became the main employer in the
region, a diatomite plant was operated at the lake from
1967 to 2004. Diatomite is the fine-grained fossilized
remains of a group of algae called diatoms. It’s used in
industry as a filter media, cement additive and more.
According to Árni Einarsson, director of Mývatn
Nature Research Center, decades of mining magnified
the natural fluctuations in the ecosystem of the lake.
“Holes were dug in the lake [during mining], releas-
ing a large amount of nutrients. The natural fluctua-
tions are combined with long-time decay, due to lack
of light in the lake, a typical sign of an overdose of
nutrients,” Árni says. Thus, he suggests, years of mining
contributed to the pollution problem. “You can’t point
at any single source as the culprit, but eutrophication is
generally due to human activity, such as sewage, agri-
culture and wastewater. The only thing we have power
to change is what we put in the lake now. We must limit
sewage. Wastewater is also a problem, because it con-
tains soap and other chemicals and even drugs. Then
there is wastewater from stables.”
Yet another looming threat to the ecosystem of
Mývatn is a possible 2x45 MW geothermal power plant
proposed for the nearby Bjarnarflag. The current 3
MW plant at the site provides hot water for the Mývatn
Nature Baths. The new plant’s construction has been
postponed indefinitely, however, as there is uncertainty
about its environmental impact on the lake, which is
one of the reasons why the Icelandic Environment
Agency opposes it.
DEALING WITH DROPPINGS
In 2012, a regulation requiring three-stage sewage
systems by the lake was passed. Since then, 115 hotel
rooms have been added in the area with the construc-
tion of Hótel Laxá in 2013 and the expansion of Sel
– Hótel Mývatn in 2015, but the three-stage sewage
system has only been adopted by the former. In addi-
tion, a 91-room Fosshotel is under construction north
of the lake, and there are plans by Icelandair Hotels to
expand Hótel Reykjahlíð and Hótel Reynihlíð, both on
the northeast shore.
To Guðmundur, the big question is why hotels
or other large infrastructure are permitted by the
Environment Agency within a nature reserve, since
what they bring is increased strain to an area that needs
protection. In his view, these hotels should have to
undergo an environmental impact assessment. “What
has to be assessed is not just the effect of a single busi-
ness, but the combined environmental impact of all
construction around the lake.”
Björt Ólafsdóttir, who took office as minister for the
environment in January 2017, states that the
circumstances are complicated. “We’re deal-
ing with a delicate situation, a nature reserve
within a populated area.” No commitment
has been made by the government regarding
sewer improvements by Mývatn, and the pre-
vious government set no money aside for that
area in the last budget it proposed.
“We know that human activity has had some
effect on the lake, but we don’t know how
much precisely,” Björt remarks. “We don’t
want to require a particular kind of sewage
system in the area unless we’re sure it works in
solving the problem. The three-stage sewage
system may be insufficient to remove those
nutrients,” she maintains, explaining that tech-
nology to remove the nutrients with a chem-
ical reaction has never existed in Iceland, but
that it is available abroad. “It’s clear that such
technology would be costly, but this is what
we’re examining.” The political will for action
is there, she stresses, adding that emphasis will
be placed on finding the best solution to pro-
tect Mývatn long-term.
When asked why the 2012 sewer regulation
hasn’t been complied to, Alfreð Schiöth, CEO
of Northeast Iceland Public Health Authority,
responds that there were no clear answers
from the Environment Agency of Iceland
regarding whether the regulation applied to
everyone, or only to larger units of 50 or
more population equivalents. “The problem is
that businesses can sidestep the regulation by
splitting their projects into units of less than
50. That way, they avoid the three-stage sewer
requirement,” he says.
BLESSING OR MENACE?
Hotel owners in the area have been criticized
by environmentalists and the Public Health
Authority for their failure to adhere to existing
regulations regarding sewage treatment. Pétur
Snæbjörnsson, director of the nine-room Hótel
Reykjahlíð and the 41-room Hótel Reynihlíð,
who recently sold both hotels to Icelandair
Hotels, explains that the hotels each have their
own two-stage septic system and pay their
sewer tax to the municipality. The way he sees
it, according to the Law on Sewer Development
and Maintenance from 2009, it’s the duty of the
local government to provide sewage services to
the community. Pétur interprets that to include
hotels. “That [duty] can’t be assigned to indi-
vidual businesses,” he asserts.
E N V I R O N M E N T
No commit-
ment has been
made by the
government
regarding sewer
improvements
by Mývatn, and
the previous
government set
no money aside
for that area in
the last budget
it proposed.

72 ICELAND REVIEW