Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Date of latest update: 2023-11-11

Description

Description (EN):

A common multidisciplinary approach across the Central Baltic region, based on wide scientific and practical knowledge is needed to promote the cleaner future of the Baltic Sea. Reducing nutrients and hazardous substances inflows to the Baltic Sea is a complex task that requires tailor made strategies implemented at grass root level actions. WATERCHAIN supports several levels of actions, project helps to reduce inflows of nutrients and hazardous substances to the Baltic Sea from all types of land-based sources with commitment of the project partners as well as beneficiaries, the local people and visitors from all Central Baltic countries. The main actions are carried out in the pilot watersheds in each partner country with the practical actions targeted to sustainable impact. The sustainable use of common resources is based both on prevention of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow, as well as on water treatment of these harmful substances already entered the water bodies, as pointed out in Regional Water Management plans, HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, as well as EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. During the project period, one to two sources of nutrients or hazardous substances recognized by river basin water management plans will be identified and activities to reduce the substances in each pilot watershed will be initiated. By year 2023, in pilot watersheds flowing into the Baltic Sea the pollution loads of nutrients and hazardous substances from targeted sources are reduced. Many actors will be engaged in the WATERCHAIN project. Best practices will be launched in other geographical areas within the Central Baltic region and further all countries around the Baltic Sea. Project results have a direct impact on the quality of living environment of local people and visitors to the area, especially on pilot watersheds. As a whole, the results increase the competitiveness and economic sustainability of all Central Baltic countries.

Achievements (EN):

Waterchain - prevention of nutrients inflows in the Baltic Sea; Project Waterchain tackled the prevention of water pollution by using spatial planning and source-specific cost-effective technological solutions for water treatment including both science-based ones as well as practical knowledge. The cross-border co-operation partnership set up in the framework of Waterchain project, enabled by the wide complementary expertise of Finnish (incl. Åland), Estonian, Latvian and Swedish partners within the fields of water treatment led to the successful development and implementation of several practical innovative actions to prevent and reduce nutrients and hazardous substances inflows into the Baltic Sea. The project, focused on the main local problems and considered the feedbacks of the local target groups. The technological methods used to reduce the inflow of nutrients and hazardous substances from inland waters were implemented during the project in participating countries as pilot investments. Crucial hotspot areas for nutrient loading were identified in pilot watersheds. Reduction activities were carried out in hotspot areas by installing and implementing a small scale innovative nutrient reduction systems on the nutrients sources as pilot measures: 4 pilots in Finland and 2 in Latvia. The seventh pilot was carried out in a laboratory. In addition, the project identified three groups of hazardous substances based on Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) Directive 39/2013/EU and Baltic Sea Action Plan: pharmaceutical residues, pesticides and perfluorinated compounds. Activities to reduce the inflows into the watershed were initiated with a pilot in Swedish and Estonian pilot watersheds.

Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/

Expected Results (EN): R2.4. The amounts of nutrients, hazardous substances and toxins inflows into the Baltic Sea

Expected Outputs (EN):

The main results are practices with a common approach for sustainable development i.e. reduced nutrients and hazardous substances inflows into the Central Baltic Sea region. Our main results are based on several approaches: 1) information collection, surveys for benchmarking, recommendations and guidelines, 2) prevention of inflows and 3) improvement and implementation of cost effective environmental treatment technologies, 4) involvement of local people and visitors, and implementation of best practices, 5) pilot investments. The grass root level, including local operators, results are achieved in working with pilot watersheds. During the project period, one to two sources of nutrients or hazardous substances recognized by river basin water management plans will be reduced in each pilot. By year 2023, in pilot watersheds flowing into the Baltic Sea the pollution loads of nutrients from targeted sources are reduced 30 % and concentrations of hazardous substances will meet the requirements environmental quality standards 39/2013/EU. The sources of these compounds are reduced to one third of the current situation. A web based interactive handbook of best practices for reduction of pollution is published in English and local languages. Social Media is already in use for the project: "Central Baltic WATERCHAIN" webpages, Facebook, LinkedIn Group, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.Involvement of individual, local people living in the pilot watersheds and visitors to the area contributes to active, common practices of different instances. The existing action groups are activated and involved for cooperation and based on need, new groups will be formed. Local municipalities, organisations and authorities responsible for environmental protection and capable of the reduction of the nutrients and hazardous substances load, and research institutions with expertise in the area are working together to improve water quality and better condition of the Central Baltic Sea region.

Thematic information

Water management Sustainable management of natural resources Waterways, lakes and rivers

Specific Objective: Reduced nutrients, hazardous substances and toxins inflows into the Baltic Sea

Thematic Objective: (06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:

Investment Priority: (06f) promoting innovative technologies to improve environmental protection and resource efficiency in the waste sector, water sector and with regard to soil, or to reduce air pollution

Partners (9)

Lead Partner: SATAKUNNAN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY

Department: Faculty of Energy and Construction/ WANDER Nordic Water and Materials Institute

Address: Tiedepuisto 3, FI-28600 Pori, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.samk.fi

Total budget: EUR 479 349.97

ERDF budget: EUR 359 512.48

Ålands Vatten

Name: Ålands Vatten

Department: N/A

Address: Vattenverksvägen 34, AX-22150 Jomala, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.vatten.ax/

Total budget: EUR 158 400.00

ERDF budget: EUR 118 800.00

Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte

Name: Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte

Department: Building Center

Address: Kalku Street 1, LV-1658 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.rtu.lv

Total budget: EUR 207 300.00

ERDF budget: EUR 176 205.00

Pyhäjärvi-instituuttisäätiö sr

Name: Pyhäjärvi-instituuttisäätiö sr

Department: N/A

Address: Sepäntie 7, FI-27500 Kauttua, Finland

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.pji.fi

Total budget: EUR 288 899.99

ERDF budget: EUR 216 674.99

Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Name: Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Department: Faculty of Civil Engineering: Department of Mechanics

Address: Ehitajate tee 5, EE-19086 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ttu.ee/

Total budget: EUR 262 375.00

ERDF budget: EUR 223 018.75

KTH Kungliga Tekniska högskolan

Name: KTH Kungliga Tekniska högskolan

Department: Albanova University Center, School of Biotechnology, Division of Industrial Biotechnology

Address: Roslagstullbacken 21, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.kth.se/

Total budget: EUR 374 100.00

ERDF budget: EUR 280 575.00

Turun ammattikorkeakoulu Oy

Name: Turun ammattikorkeakoulu Oy

Department: Technology, environment and business

Address: Joukahaisenkatu 3A, FI-20520 Turku, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.tuas.fi

Total budget: EUR 289 800.00

ERDF budget: EUR 217 350.00

Vides Risinäjumu Instituts

Name: Vides Risinäjumu Instituts

Department: N/A

Address: „Lidlauks”, Priekuļu parish N/A, LV-4101 Priekuļu county, Latvia

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.videsinstituts.lv/

Total budget: EUR 275 399.97

ERDF budget: EUR 234 089.97

Eesti Keskkonnauuringute Keskus

Name: Eesti Keskkonnauuringute Keskus

Department: Environmental and Analytical Chemistry Department

Address: Marja 4d, EE-10617 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.klab.ee/

Total budget: EUR 238 625.00

ERDF budget: EUR 202 831.25

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Aland Waterwork Ltd.

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

Riga Technical University

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

Pyhäjärvi Institute

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

Tallinn University of Technology

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

Turku University of Applied Sciences

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

Foundation "Institute for Environmental Solutions"

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

Estonian Environmental Research Centre

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Partners and Projects info

Satakunta University of Applied Sciences

Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Project acronym: WATERCHAIN

Project start date: 2015-10-01

Project end date: 2018-09-30

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 574 249.94

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 029 057.45

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 2 029 057.45.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Videos / films

CB WATERCHAIN: Strategic approach to a sustainable drinking water supply in Åland

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://waterchain.eu/problems-in-the-baltic-sea/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-02-01

CB WATERCHAIN: Message from the Baltic Sea

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://waterchain.eu/problems-in-the-baltic-sea/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-08-01

CB WATERCHAIN: How is the Baltic Sea doing?

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://waterchain.eu/problems-in-the-baltic-sea/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-08-01

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-11-11

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

137 / 137 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

663 / 663 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://centralbaltic.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-08, 2023-01-12 and 2024-03-08.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Pilot watersheds as a practical tool to reduce the harmful inflows into the Baltic Sea.

Description

Thematic information

Partners (9)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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