Authorities in Denmark are currently battling against time to prevent a slow-moving landslide of contaminated soil from reaching a nearby water source, while public officials and the company responsible for the site engage in a dispute over who should bear the cost of the extensive cleanup.
The landslide, which began on December 10, involves a massive heap of dirt, measuring 75 meters (250 feet) in height, located at the Nordic Waste reprocessing plant in the northwestern town of Randers. This heap contains approximately 3 million cubic meters (100 million cubic feet) of soil contaminated with heavy metals and oil products. The landslide is steadily advancing towards a stream connected to the Baltic Sea via the Randers Fjord, at a rate of up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) per hour.
