Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

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

Date of latest update: 2023-11-11

Description

Description (EN):

Local authorities located on the BS coastal areas face same challenges regarding small urban water bodies and their watersheds. These watersheds are the source of nutrients, hazardous substances, toxins and micro-litter. All municipalities in the project need to reduce loading in small urban water bodies to minimize negative impacts on the BS and urban ecosystems. Yet, they do not have the resources to identify and test the most effective solutions for all environmental problems. The objective of HEAWATER is to verify and implement the most effective technological solutions that help to reduce pollution loads from/to small urban rivers in Tallinn (EE), Turku (FI) and Söderhamn (SE). The project will identify the best solutions for different problems, and through cross-border cooperation, enable decision-makers to foster the implementation of effective solutions. Implemented solutions will also help to raise awareness of the local population about the impact of human activities. The joint review and implementation of solutions by different countries with varying public awareness of urban environmental problems, ability and willingness of citizens to pay for urban ecosystem services, and different environmental problems, ensures that the set of pilot investments represents a range of solutions that are applicable in the entire BSR. Implemented methods will help to restore water quality (WQ) and biota of the rivers, reduce pollution from at least 1-2 sources per partner municipality by ca. 10%. The benefits of restoration will be underlined by costs-benefit analyses. The result is the improved ecology and WQ in urban streams. Project results will be combined in a decision support tool (DST) to support decision making of coastal BSR municipalities. New watersheds-based solutions implemented in HEAWATER can be applicable in other regions of the BS and will be utilized through different networks and other projects. HEAWATER will support achieving goals set by HELCOM BSAP.

Achievements (EN):

Heawater improved water quality in selected small urban rivers: The project Heawater improved water quality in selected small urban rivers by preventing nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds to Baltic Sea. Partners from Estonia, Sweden and Finland developed and tested new technological solutions that were specially designed for small rivers to reduce pollution load. The most suitable solution for each selected small river was tested as part of the pilot investments that were carried out in Tallinn, Söderhamn and Turku. Monitoring data shows reduction in concentration of selected indicators more than 10%. Another project aim was to raise awareness about the benefits of restoration measures of small urban rivers both for the general public and decision-makers. The project identified best measures for different stormwater management goals and compiled the information in a tool that support planners, decision makers and private actors looking for the best urban river restoration methods. The decision support tool provides a database with the most common and well-established solutions for urban runoff and river management. The solutions are applicable also in other regions in the Baltic Sea area. Furthermore, the project conducted a survey in the project three cities to assess the awareness level related to water quality issues and citizens’ willingness to pay for better water quality. Although city streams are often close to people, they can nevertheless receive very little attention. Based on the answers, large proportion of respondents showed interest in managing the urban waters, and a significant proportion of respondents was also willing to participate in improving the situation. The cost benefit analysis published in the summary report demonstrates that overall benefits of improving the state of small waters and sustainable stormwater management would outweigh the costs, at least over a period of several years. Additional information: Project video: https://youtu.be/4Algl3gsz94 Project video on Mustjõgi: https://youtu.be/e5mboRLKpXw Project video on Kuninkoja (In Finnish) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9OVutJ8DPo Söderhamn video (in English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TGHP3kMhLM Project final webinar: https://youtu.be/xNZDXh1znno

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 of the HEAWATER project are: 1. New technical and technological solutions, specially designed for small rivers, will be developed and implemented through pilot investments, which will reduce the pollution leakage into the sea. Expected result of implementation of all pilot investments is decreasing the level of pollution approximately 10%. Implementation will target at least 2-3 pollution sources in each pilot investment (totally at least 7 sources). Monitoring of nutrients, hazardous substances, toxins and litter will give indication about pollutants and their sources at the beginning and at the end of the project. 2. Stakeholder awareness survey will be carried out to assess the awareness level related to WQ issues and their willingness to pay for better WQ. The results of the survey will be used for the light social CBA which will show the monetary value (willingness to pay) of increased WQ. 3. Project results will be combined in the DST to support decision making of coastal BSR municipalities regarding future restoration of urban water bodies.

Thematic information

Waterways, lakes and rivers Waste and pollution

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 (5)

Lead Partner: Tallinna Linnavalitsus

Department: Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department

Address: Mündi 2, 15197 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.tallinn.ee

Total budget: EUR 535 275.35

ERDF budget: EUR 451 772.40

Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Name: Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Department: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Water and Environmental Engineering

Address: Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ttu.ee

Total budget: EUR 251 136.45

ERDF budget: EUR 211 959.16

Turun Ammattikorkeakoulu

Name: Turun Ammattikorkeakoulu

Department: Faculty of Technology, Environment and Business

Address: Joukahaisenkatu 3A, 20520 Turku, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.tuas.fi

Total budget: EUR 302 744.50

ERDF budget: EUR 224 636.42

Suomen ympäristökeskus

Name: Suomen ympäristökeskus

Department: Marine Centre

Address: Mechelininkatu 34a, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.syke.fi

Total budget: EUR 299 735.35

ERDF budget: EUR 222 403.63

Söderhamns kommun

Name: Söderhamns kommun

Department: The Municipal Administration

Address: Västra Storgatan 16-18, 826 80 Söderhamn, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.soderhamn.se

Total budget: EUR 509 456.99

ERDF budget: EUR 378 017.09

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Tallinn University of Technology

Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

Partners and Projects info

Turun ammattikorkeakoulu

Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

Partners and Projects info

Finnish Environment Institute

Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

Partners and Projects info

Söderhamn municipality

Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

Partners and Projects info

Tallinn City Government

Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

Project acronym: HEAWATER

Project start date: 2018-03-01

Project end date: 2021-02-28

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 898 348.64

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 488 788.69

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 1 488 788.69.

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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Achieving healthier water quality in urban small rivers of the Baltic Sea catchment by restoration of water bodies and preventing of nutrients and hazardous substances inflow from watersheds.

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

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

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