Førde Fjord
| Førde Fjord Førdefjorden (Norwegian) | |
|---|---|
View of the fjord | |
| Location | Sunnfjord, Vestland |
| Coordinates | 61°27′N 5°30′E / 61.45°N 5.50°E |
| Primary inflows | River Jølstra |
| Primary outflows | Brufjorden / Stavfjorden |
| Basin countries | Norway |
| Max. length | 36 km (22 mi) |
| Max. width | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Settlements | Førde, Naustdal |
| Location | |
Interactive map of the fjord | |
Førde Fjord (English) or Førdefjorden (Norwegian) is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. It is the longest of all the fjords in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. Førdefjorden passes through Sunnfjord Municipality, Askvoll Municipality, and Kinn Municipality. The fjord begins at the town of Førde, at the estuary of the river Jølstra, which comes from the lake Jølstravatn. The island of Svanøya lies just outside the mouth of the fjord. There are roads along the shoreline on both the north and south sides of the fjord, and the European route E39 highway runs past the town of Førde, near the fjord.[1]
Mining industry
Nordic Mining applied to deposit 6 tonnes (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons) of tailings a year for 50 years into the fjord, prompting much opposition.[2][3] In May 2022, permission was granted; however, an operations plan [has not yet been approved] by Directorate of Mining (as of Q2 2022).[4]
As of 2021, Nordic Mining is permitted to dump 9 tonnes (8.9 long tons; 9.9 short tons) of chemical waste into the fjord per year, including 2 tonnes (2.0 long tons; 2.2 short tons) of SIBX (sodium isobutyl xanthate).[5]
As of January 2024, after a 15-year dispute, Nordic Mining has been given the go-ahead to dispose of 170 megatonnes (170,000,000 long tons; 190,000,000 short tons) of mining waste at the bottom of the Førdefjorden. Before this, the government had won a court case against environmental organisations who had tried to block the disposal.[6]
Settlements
The following settlements are located along the Førdefjorden:
- Stavang (in Kinn Municipality), on the north side, at the mouth of the fjord
- Kvammen (in Askvoll Municipality), on the south side, near the mouth of the fjord
- Indrevevring (in Sunnfjord Municipality), on the north side, a little ways into the fjord
- Helle (in Sunnfjord Municipality), on the north side, about the middle of the fjord
- Naustdal (in Sunnfjord Municipality), on the north side, near the inner part of the fjord
- Førde (the administrative centre of Sunnfjord Municipality), at the innermost part of the fjord
Media gallery
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Gjelsvik by Førdefjorden
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View of Førdefjorden towards southwest
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View of Førdefjorden towards southeast
See also
References
- ^ Askheim, Svein, ed. (2025-05-19). "Førdefjorden". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
- ^ Paris, Natalie (12 November 2014). "Norway: Fight to keep fjord waste-free". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ Vidal, John (19 November 2014). "Conservationists slam plans to dump mining waste into Norwegian fjord". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ Bernhus Årtun, Amalie (2022-05-06). "Departementet har vedtatt at driftslisensen opprettholdes: – Klagene har ikke vært forgjeves". NRK Vestland (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ Flølo, Julianne (2021-01-19). "Miljødirektoratet: Gruveselskapet kan sleppe ut to tonn SIBX i fjorden". NRK Vestland (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
- ^ Ulven, Elisabeth; Sutterud, Tone (2024-01-12). "Norway to allow mining waste to be dumped in fjords". The Guardian.