Finland's Water Warriors: Strategies To Combat Pollution

Water quality is classified as excellent or good across 80% of Finland's lakes. Waters near industrial facilities have particularly become cleaner in recent years. However, Finland’s small and shallow bodies of water are sensitive to pollution, and environmental protection must still be further enhanced. Significant loads of pollutants enter water bodies in runoff from farmland, managed forests or peat mining sites; in wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants, industrial facilities, or livestock facilities; in effluent from fish farms; in wastewater from houses in rural areas with no public sewerage system; and in storm water from built-up areas, mines and quarries, or landfills. Pollutant loads from industry, municipal wastewater treatment plants and fish farms have been effectively reduced in Finland.

Significant point source activities are monitored in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act

Water quality is classified as excellent or good across 80% of the total area of Finland’s lakes. Waters near industrial facilities have particularly become cleaner in recent years. But Finland’s small and shallow bodies of water are sensitive to pollution, and environmental protection must still be further enhanced. Finland has been rated among the world’s leading countries in many international comparisons of environmental protection standards, such as the Global Economic Forum’s regularly compiled Environmental Sustainability Index. Finland’s strengths include highly effective environmental administration and legislation, and the ways environmental protection is considered in all sectors of society.

Significant loads of pollutants enter water bodies in runoff from farmland, managed forests or peat mining sites; in wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants, industrial facilities, or livestock facilities; in effluent from fish farms; in wastewater from houses in rural areas with no public sewerage system; and in storm water from built-up areas, mines and quarries, or landfills. Although Finland’s drinking water is up to par, ecology reports demonstrate that water quality for aquatic life remains questionable. This is mostly due to the large amounts of agricultural production in Finland, causing nutrient over-growth in lakes and rivers. It is the responsibility of farmers and other individuals to do their part in keeping pollutants out of Finland’s waterways. Finland is also working to restore pathways for fish in order to help with the recent extinction of migratory fish stocks.

Pollutant loads from industry, municipal wastewater treatment plants and fish farms have been reduced

Significant point source activities are obliged to monitor their discharges in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. For diffuse sources of pollutants, models or calculation methods are used to estimate total discharges. Pollutant loads from industry, municipal wastewater treatment plants and fish farms have been effectively reduced in Finland. However, diffuse loads from farmland, managed forests and scattered rural settlements have proven to be much more difficult to curb.

Eutrophication and excessive plant growth, especially in lakes with shallow water levels, have been the main problems in many Finnish lakes in spite of the effective reduction by the 1990s of point source nutrient loading.

Water quality is classified as excellent or good across 80% of the total area of Finland’s lakes. Waters near industrial facilities have particularly become cleaner in recent years. But Finland’s small and shallow bodies of water are sensitive to pollution, and environmental protection must still be further enhanced.

Finland’s drinking water is up to par, but ecology reports demonstrate that water quality for aquatic life remains questionable. This is mostly due to the large amounts of agricultural production in Finland, causing nutrient over-growth in lakes and rivers. It is the responsibility of farmers and other individuals to do their part in keeping pollutants out of Finland’s waterways.

Finland is also working to restore pathways for fish in order to help with the recent extinction of migratory fish stocks.

Eutrophication and excessive plant growth in shallow lakes are main problems

Eutrophication and excessive plant growth in shallow lakes are the main problems in many Finnish lakes. Eutrophication is a big word that describes a big problem in the nation's estuary and coastal waters. It occurs when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth in the water. Sixty-five percent of the estuary and coastal waters in the contiguous U.S. that have been studied by researchers are moderately to severely degraded by excessive nutrient inputs. Excessive nutrients lead to algal blooms and low-oxygen (hypoxic) waters that can kill fish and seagrass and reduce essential fish habitats.

Eutrophication was recognized as a water pollution problem in European and North American lakes and reservoirs in the mid-20th century. Breakthrough research carried out at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) in Ontario, Canada, in the 1970s provided the evidence that freshwater bodies are phosphorus-limited. Phosphorus is often regarded as the main culprit in cases of eutrophication in lakes subjected to "point source" pollution from sewage pipes.

Significant loads of pollutants enter water bodies in runoff from farmland, managed forests or peat mining sites; in wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants, industrial facilities, or livestock facilities; in effluent from fish farms; in wastewater from houses in rural areas with no public sewerage system; and in storm water from built-up areas, mines and quarries, or landfills. Significant point source activities are obliged to monitor their discharges in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. For diffuse sources of pollutants, models or calculation methods are used to estimate total discharges. Pollutant loads from industry, municipal wastewater treatment plants and fish farms have been effectively reduced in Finland. However, diffuse loads from farmland, managed forests and scattered rural settlements have proven to be much more difficult to curb.

Enhanced growth of aquatic vegetation, phytoplankton and algal blooms disrupts the normal functioning of the ecosystem, causing a variety of problems such as a lack of oxygen which is needed for fish and shellfish to survive. The growth of dense algae in surface waters can shade the deeper water and reduce the viability of benthic shelter plants with resultant impacts on the wider ecosystem. Recent reductions of external nutrient input have led to plant re-establishment in some lakes, but not with the same areal cover and species richness as before eutrophication commenced. Submerged plants composed of charophytes (green algae) and angiosperms develop dense vegetation in small, shallow lakes and in littoral zones of large lakes. Many small, oligotrophic plant species have declined due to drainage and fertilization of lakes, while some tall, eutrophic species have increased.

Renewable freshwater reserves amount to an estimated 21,000m3 per inhabitant

Water quality is classified as excellent or good across 80% of the total area of Finland’s lakes. Waters near industrial facilities have particularly become cleaner in recent years. Finland's strengths include highly effective environmental administration and legislation, and the ways environmental protection is considered in all sectors of society. However, diffuse loads from farmland, managed forests and scattered rural settlements have proven to be much more difficult to curb. Eutrophication and excessive plant growth, especially in lakes with shallow water levels, have been the main problems in many Finnish lakes in spite of the effective reduction by the 1990s of point source nutrient loading.

Significant point source activities are obliged to monitor their discharges in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. For diffuse sources of pollutants, models or calculation methods are used to estimate total discharges. Pollutant loads from industry, municipal wastewater treatment plants and fish farms have been effectively reduced in Finland. However, drinking from downstream is not recommended due to the presence of sheep, other forms of livestock, and pulp factories in the area. Although Finland’s drinking water is up to par, ecology reports demonstrate that water quality for aquatic life remains questionable. This is mostly due to the large amounts of agricultural production in Finland, causing nutrient over-growth in lakes and rivers. It is the responsibility of farmers and other individuals to do their part in keeping pollutants out of Finland’s waterways. Finland is also working to restore pathways for fish in order to help with the recent extinction of migratory fish stocks.

Water quality is classified as excellent or good across 80% of Finland’s lakes

Significant loads of pollutants enter water bodies in runoff from farmland, managed forests or peat mining sites; in wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants, industrial facilities, or livestock facilities; in effluent from fish farms; in wastewater from houses in rural areas with no public sewerage system; and in storm water from built-up areas, mines and quarries, or landfills.

Significant point source activities are obliged to monitor their discharges in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. For diffuse sources of pollutants, models or calculation methods are used to estimate total discharges. Pollutant loads from industry, municipal wastewater treatment plants and fish farms have been effectively reduced in Finland. However, diffuse loads from farmland, managed forests and scattered rural settlements have proven to be much more difficult to curb.

Eutrophication and excessive plant growth, especially in lakes with shallow water levels, have been the main problems in many Finnish lakes in spite of the effective reduction by the 1990s of point source nutrient loading.

Finland is also working to restore pathways for fish in order to help with the recent extinction of migratory fish stocks.

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