The Ministry of the Environment has pledged to use up to 5 million euros in EU funds to eliminate a foul odor that has for years annoyed locals and tourists strolling alongside Tallinn's main coastal promenade in Pirita.Close to Kadriorg Palace and the Song Festival Grounds, the coastline at hand stretches four kilometers from the Russalka monument to the suburb of Merivälja.
The stench is created by deteriorating seaweed fed by sewage waste entering the sea that contains nitrate, phosphorite and nitrogen, according to the interim report of an 80,000-euro study presented yesterday. Three potential solutions were suggested by the study's team, led by the Tallinn University of Technology senior researcher Ants Erm.
The most efficient and costly would be to clean the inland water flowing into the sea. A second option would be to clear the seaweed from shallow areas, but this can't be done everywhere as some areas are too rocky. A third solution would be to lengthen the sewage pipes running into the sea, thereby disposing of the waste deeper and farther out in the sea.
The study is scheduled for completion next spring.
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