2021. - 2023.

The Karosta Canal is an artificial structure created in the 19th century. The Causeway was created in the late 19th century. From the 20th century onwards, the For about 50 years, during the second half of the 20th century, the area was a closed zone for the naval forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (hereinafter - USSR), which operated in the territory of Latvia until their demobilisation in 1994. During the USSR period, the Karosta Canal was operated without regard for the potential negative environmental impacts, such as inadequate bunkering of ships and the discharge of waste water contaminated with heavy metals and petroleum products far in excess of any permissible limits. As a result of inadequate management, toxic pollution (oil and heavy metals) released into the environment has accumulated in the sediments of the canal bed, posing a significant ecological threat to the quality of the Baltic Sea environment. With the dissolution of the USSR and the demobilisation of the military in 1994, there is no longer a responsible party for the pollution, so the Polluter Pays Principle of the Pollution Act cannot be applied. Already in 1992, HELCOM mentioned the Liepaja Karosta as one of the most polluted military sites in the Baltic Sea region, and the elimination of pollution in the Karosta Channel was included in HELCOM's Baltic Sea Action Plan. The Karosta Channel is registered in the Register of Contaminated and Potentially Contaminated Sites under No 17004/5138 and is included in HELCOM's list of Baltic Sea hot spots - hot spot No 48 City and Port of Liepaja.

The Liepaja SEZ Authority is the owner of the historically polluted area after the collapse of the USSR, to which the State has transferred the management of the Karosta Channel for the port activities and the special disposal site for the management of contaminated sediments at the eastern end of the Karosta Channel, built in 1998 with the support of PHARE funding.

Between 1994 and 2010, the Liepaja SEZ Authority and state institutions have financed dozens of geo-ecological studies to prepare the Karosta Channel Clean-up Project. The decision on the implementation of the first stage of the project was taken only in 2012 and, attracting EU Cohesion Fund financing, by 31 December 2015 the project "Clean-up of the historically polluted site of the Port of Liepaja Karosta Canal - 1st stage" was implemented, within the framework of which a large amount of technogenic pollution (scrap metal, concrete masses, wood, etc.) was removed from the canal in an area of 78 ha and disposed of. In the most contaminated section, ~60 000 m3 of contaminated sediments were removed and deposited in a specially equipped disposal site at the eastern end of the Karosta Canal. The main objective of Phase I of the project was the removal of technogenic contamination throughout the canal, which by its very nature has so far prevented any manipulation of further excavation of contaminated sediments. As a result of the project, the overall ecological status of the canal improved significantly: the concentrations of petroleum products and heavy metals in the sediments decreased by several times, but their concentrations still do not meet the requirements set by Cabinet Regulation No 804 "Regulations on Soil and Ground Quality Standards". Regular monitoring has been carried out since 2018 to maintain the results of Phase I of the project. According to the conditions of the Phase I of the Cohesion Fund Project, the Liepaja SEZ Authority is required to remove the remaining non-compliant contaminated sediments in the entire Karosta Channel by 2023.

In 2020, a major study led to the definition of Phase II of the Project for the remediation of the remaining contaminated sediments of the Karosta Channel. The study identified the locations of petroleum products and heavy metals in the 78 ha of the canal. It was concluded that particularly contaminated sediments are mainly localised in the navigation area of the canal in an area of 36 ha, and that the localised sediments on the canal slope are also contaminated and are related to the stability of the canal slopes and cannot be treated as part of the remediation project. Based on the investigation and analysis, the main objective of Phase II of the Project is to excavate the amount of contaminated sediment that is localised in the 36 ha navigation area of the canal and exceeds the "B" and "C" thresholds set out in Regulation No 804. To achieve the project objective, it is necessary to excavate ~200 000 m3 of sediment from the area of the "C" and "B" levels. The project will require the excavation of ~200 m3 of contaminated sediments from the bed of the Karosta Canal and deposit them in a specially equipped disposal site at the eastern end of the Karosta Canal.

As a result of the project, 68 535 inhabitants of the city of Liepaja will no longer be exposed to the risk of historical pollution, as 400 t of hazardous chemicals will be removed from the Karosta Channel, which will significantly improve the marine ecology and the quality of the surrounding environment, as well as eliminate hazards and risks to the health and environment of the city's inhabitants.

The Project will contribute to the objectives and actions of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) Baltic Sea Action Plan to restore the Baltic Sea to good ecological status - ensuring marine ecological diversity and dynamism, cleanliness, health and productivity in marine conditions where the marine environment is used sustainably, preserving the potential of marine waters for this and future generations.

In order to achieve additional added value for society, the LSEZ Authority has selected partners who are competent in marine and inland water ecological projects and have a long history of investing in scientific research in this field, explaining to society the close links between human health, the environment and the sustainable use of resources.

The public awareness campaign of the project will be carried out by the Baltic Coasts Association (hereafter "Baltic Coasts"), which is active in the field of Baltic Sea environmental quality, coastal erosion and integrated coastal planning, climate and resource policy, biodiversity, ecosystems and their services, and has considerable experience in project communication, administrative, technical and financial management at both national and international level. Baltic Coasts has been a member of the international organisation EUCC Coastal & Marine Union since 2010.

The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) will provide the exchange of experience between the project partners. NIVA is Norway's leading institute for fundamental and applied research on marine and freshwater. The Institute's research covers a wide range of environmental, climatic and resource-related fields. NIVA's world-class expertise is multidisciplinary and broad in scientific scope. NIVA combines research, monitoring, evaluation, problem-solving and advisory services at international, national and local levels.

The project "Remediation of historically polluted sites in the Karosta Channel of the Port of Liepaja" is implemented under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism Programme "Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Environment" for the period 2014-2021.

The project implementation period is from 1 August 2021 to 31 December 2023.

The project budget is EUR 5 117 647,05, including co-financing from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism of EUR 4 350 000,00.