Sisačko-moslavačka županija (Sisak-Moslavina County) is not abandoning the Jodno spa project, worth 28.7 million euros, despite the discovery of mercury on the construction site. The mercury was found at a waste dump on the site itself, and county president Ivan Celjak stated that the dump will be remediated.
After the presence of mercury was confirmed on the construction site, which is located on the area of a former waste dump, work continued to determine the type and quantity of waste. Celjak announced that remediation of the dump will follow once the analyses are completed and the on-site situation is established.
The construction site is located next to the area of the former Radonja chemical plant, later Herbos, which produced pesticides. Local activists had warned of possible buried industrial waste in that area. The Croatian Geological Institute published that unusual concentrations of mercury were recorded in the wider area as far back as 2014, but soil samples were not taken on the spa plot itself at that time.
The county president stated that the county remains committed to the realisation of the project and will do everything to ensure it is successfully implemented. Celjak said that, depending on the findings of the competent authorities regarding the waste, the project will continue on the same plot or another suitable location will be found near the source of the iodine water.
The Terme Jodno – medical wellness and spa centre project for Sisak-Moslavina County is estimated at approximately 28.7 million euros. It will be financed through a combination of grant funds, money from the county and state budgets, and credit borrowing.
The project includes the renovation and improvement of spa capacities based on the use of medicinal iodine-bromine mineral water. The goal is the development of health tourism, the improvement of the quality of health and rehabilitation services, and the revitalisation of an important health and social resource for Sisak-Moslavina County.
