1. Groundwater area protection plans in water management
Groundwater areas
Groundwater protection methods
Protection plans
GroPro - Groundwater Protection
Plans and Implementation in a North European Perspective
Korsør, Denmark September 2008
Jari Rintala - Finnish Environment Institute

2. Finland Land area 304,000 km2, 6th largest in Europa Population
5.3 milj
In the capital city area (incl. suburbs) 1.0 milj
Precambrian crystalline bedrock covered with thin layers of quaternary deposit
Glaciofluvial sand and gravel formations host  the most important aquifers; cover 4 % of total land area

3. Groundwater supply and utilisation
Groundwater accounts for 60% of the water distributed by waterworks
The share of groundwater is 100% in a great part of the country
Surface water is used as raw water in the biggest cities. E.g. the raw water in Helsinki is led via a 120-kilometer-long rock tunnel from Lake Päijänne
12% is artificially recharged groundwater
Around 2000 groundwater intakes
Ca. 10 % of the population get their water from their own wells or bedrock boreholes

4. Groundwater areas mapping and classification
Groundwater areas have been divided into three classes:
Definitions:
Class I: groundwater area important for water supply
is an aquifer from which 10 or more dwellings obtain their water
Class II: groundwater area suitable for water supply
areas are suitable for water supply, but for now, these areas are not needed by communities or they are located in sparsely populated areas
Class III: other groundwater area
more hydrogeological information is needed turn to class I or II or unsuitable for water supply

5. Groundwater areas mapping and classification
Purpose to identify priority areas for groundwater utilization and improve the management of groundwater
Information about
groundwater area boundaries
groundwater divides
groundwater volumes in sand and gravel layers
estimate direction of groundwater flow
Main phase completed in 1995; the classification is still being continously revised as water supply investigations are undertaken
Total number of groundwater areas ca. 6300
2,250 in Class I (area 6,200 km2)
1,500 in Class II (area 3,500 km2)
2,600 in Class III (area 3,600 km2)

6. Groundwater database
A Nationwide GIS-database system is maintained by the Finnish environmental administration
Information on
groundwater areas: location, capacity, potential threats, land use
groundwater quality
groundwater level etc.
Mainly carried out scale on the of 1 to 20,000
Public use via internet (limited data content)

7. Groundwater areas The average groundwater area size 1-2 km2
Aquifer thickness ca. 10 m
Groundwater level 3-5 m below the surface, in eskers up to 50 m
Sensitive to the contamination

8. Groundwater contamination
During the last decades dozens of contamination cases of groundwater
Wood preserving with chlorophenols
Laundries with solvents
Fur farming with nitrogen compounds
De-icing with chlorides
Service station with petroleum products

9. Groundwater Protection Regulations
Is principally provided for in the Water Act (in 1961) and the Environmental Protection Act (in 2000)
Aim to prevent the pollution and alteration of aquifers
A good chemical state of groundwater is safeguarded by means of the prohibition against groundwater pollution
The prohibition on altering groundwater refers to maintaining a good quantitative state of groundwater

10. Groundwater protection methods
Intake protection area around an active groundwater abstraction site
Protection plan for groundwater area

11. Intake protection area
Based on the Water Act
Area around a groundwater abstraction site
Usually consists of a small part of the total groundwater area
Legally-based land use restrictions
More than 200 intake protection areas since 1961

12. The number of intake protection areas and groundwater areas protection plans annually

13. Groundwater area and intake protection area map (scale ca 1:20 000)

14. Protection plan for groundwater area
To ensure the availability and quality of groundwater
To take into account entire groundwater area instead of the immediate vicinity of a groundwater intake
Procedure of establishing is based on voluntary action and co-operation
Principal responsibility for local authorities and waterworks
For approx groundwater areas

15. A protection plan for groundwater area
Includes:
Hydrogeological characteristics
The inventory of potential threats to groundwater
Risk assessment
The recommended measures to minimize the groundwater contamination risks
Operating instructions for occurrence of damage
The information in the protection plan can be applied to the planning and monitoring of land use as well as in the handling of permit applications
OTSIKKO KUVALLE

16. Risk assessment Location risk
The factors affecting groundwater vulnerability
Soil structure
Depth to water table
Groundvater flow direction and flow rate
Distance to water intakes
Discharge risk Possible discharges into the soil and into the groundwater
Use and storage of hazardous chemicals in the groundwater-area
The likelihood of damage occurrence

17. A location map of contamination threats

18. The recommended protection measures for the threats
Essential part of protection plan
The measures includes:
Threats identification
Preventive and remedial measures to minimise contamination risk (inc. timetable, Institutional arrangements, supervisory authorities, legal obligation, estimated costs)
Monitoring of groundwater quality and groundwater level
Implementation of measures is followed periodically by co-operative follow-up group
As a rule, new potential contamination threats (e.g. service stations) will be located outside of groundwater area

19. Intake protection area in comparison with protection plan

20. Future challenges for protection plans in Finland
Protect the most important groundwater areas
More than 1,500 I-class groundwater areas have no protection plan
Significant updates to several protection plans
More hydrogeological information on aquifers is needed
More geophysical surveying techniques and groundwater models should be applied
Responsible for establishing and financing the protection plans needs clarification

21. Summary Groundwater areas and groundwater utilisation
Groundwater accounts for 60% of the water distributed by waterworks
More than 6000 groundwater areas
The groundwater aquifers are generally shallow and small and therefore vulnerable to contamination
Goundwater protection methods
A protection area around an intake
A Protection plan for groundwater area
Protection plan for groundwater area
Based on voluntary action and co-operation
Take into account entire groundwater area
The most important method for groundwater protection in Finland
More information:

22. Thank you for your attention!