Mayors want to clean the drinking water of nitrate. But should our citizens really pay the bill, Minister for the Environment?

Mayors want state funding to clean drinking water of nitrate. But should our citizens really pay the bill, Environment Minister?

Mayors across several municipalities are seeking financial support from the government to treat drinking water for nitrate, a carcinogen.

Søren Smalbro, mayor of Hjørring, Per Urban Olsen, mayor of Samsø, and Randers mayor Rosa Lykke Yde are advocating for Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke (Social Democrats) to cover the costs of removing nitrate from drinking water to meet a new threshold.

It could become an expensive endeavor if drinking water in many municipalities needs to be treated to reduce nitrate levels to a new limit.

Magnus Heunicke (Social Democrats), the Environment Minister, stated yesterday that he would follow an expert group’s recommendation to lower the nitrate threshold in drinking water from 50 to 6 milligrams per liter to minimize the risk of colorectal cancer.

Read also: Nitrate in drinking water can cause colorectal cancer: Expert group wants threshold significantly reduced

However, several municipalities face specific challenges with high nitrate levels.

For instance, on Samsø, measurements show nitrate concentrations of 20 milligrams per liter in the northern part of the island.

*"Who should pay for this? Is it the consumers, or will the minister bring us a bag of money?"*

Per Urban Olsen (Conservative People’s Party), mayor of Samsø

And therefore, the island’s drinking water will likely need treatment, says Per Urban Olsen, mayor of Samsø.

- It makes sense to lower the threshold, but it will cost money to do so. We have no option to get water from a neighboring municipality’s waterworks or through a pipeline to Jutland or Zealand, so we must treat it.

- It will become more expensive, and the question is who should pay for it. Should it be the consumers, or will the minister provide funding for us and all other municipalities?

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In Aalborg, the cost is 1,000 Danish kroner per year

Aalborg Municipality is particularly affected by nitrate in groundwater due to soil conditions that allow nitrate from farmers’ fertilizers to seep faster into groundwater than elsewhere.

Last year, the municipality became the first in the country to treat drinking water for nitrate to reduce levels to 15 milligrams per liter.

This will cost 645 million Danish kroner, and the bill has been passed directly on to citizens, who can expect an additional charge of around 1,000 Danish kroner per year for a typical household—over ten years.

Hjørring Municipality also has areas with nitrate levels exceeding 6 milligrams per liter, meaning the municipality will also need to treat the water, says Søren Smalbro (Venstre), mayor of Hjørring.

- And then there’s the big question hanging in the air: Who will pay for it?

- I think we’ll have to ask citizens to cover the cost. And that’s truly unfortunate. There’s nowhere else to send the bill, he says.

Unless, the mayor adds, the state steps in to help.

- There are areas where the state simply has to assist. It could be one of those areas, because otherwise, only consumers will have to pay.

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Colorectal cancer and nitrate

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in Denmark.

Around 4,500 Danes are diagnosed with colorectal cancer (colon and rectal cancer) annually.

Approximately 130 cases of colorectal cancer per year are attributed to nitrate, accounting for nearly three percent.

Sources: Danish Health Authority and a Danish study from 2024

*"It would be unfair if citizens in Randers and other affected municipalities had to pay extra to get their water treated."*

Rosa Lykke Yde (Socialist People’s Party), mayor of Randers

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Randers mayor: We must be solidarity-based

Rosa Lykke Yde (Socialist People’s Party), mayor of Randers Municipality, calls it a brilliant idea to lower the nitrate threshold. In fact, the municipality is already fully engaged in new drilling and other measures to reduce the levels.

- But there will be additional expenses that we can only pass on to consumers. And, in principle, I believe that when stricter thresholds are adopted, drinking water should be a shared responsibility. Therefore, we must be compensated by the state.

- It would be unjust if citizens in Randers and other affected municipalities had to pay extra to get their water treated, as they are not to blame for living in areas with high nitrate levels.

The same message comes from the chair of the Danish Regions’ Climate and Environment Committee, Johannes Lundsfryd Jensen (Social Democrats).

- If new low thresholds are set that require expensive treatment in certain parts of the country, we should discuss whether it’s reasonable to place the entire bill on the few water consumers or if a more solidarity-based solution should be found to ensure everyone has access to clean and healthy drinking water.

DANVA, which organizes drinking water companies, estimates that up to a quarter of a million Danes currently drink water with nitrate concentrations above 6 milligrams per liter.

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The scale of the problem comes before economics

DR Nyheder asked Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke (Social Democrats) whether funding would be provided to municipalities with the new nitrate threshold in drinking water, so the bill wouldn’t end up with consumers.

The minister cannot answer that yet. He responds in writing that he understands the concern over who will pay the bill, as water treatment is costly.

- We must ensure that there is clean water in the taps, and that it doesn’t become too expensive. Right now, we are assessing the scale of the problem, specifically which waterworks are affected and what measures can be taken to reduce nitrate levels to the 6 milligrams per liter recommended by the expert group. We need a clear overview of this. The next step will be to look at the financial question, writes Magnus Heunicke.

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