Regional water situation

Central Finland, Päijät-Häme and Kymenlaakso 2.4.

Water levels in the Kymijoki river basin are forecast to remain significantly lower than average in the summer. The winter was low in snow, and the spring came early, which led to water levels also starting to decline early. The spring declines of regulated lakes will be kept low if possible, and efforts will be made to improve the situation by reducing flow regulation with derogations. The water levels of many natural lakes will remain significantly lower than usual next summer unless the rainfall is greater than average in April and May.

The water level of Lake Päijänne is rising, and according to the current forecast, the water level will reach its highest level, which is 15–25 cm higher than the current level, by the end of May. The flow regulation has been drastically reduced in March, and the outflow is approximately 110 m3/s at the beginning of April.

A derogation has been applied for Lake Puula on the Mäntyharju route in order to deviate from the current permit condition. According to the current condition, the flow regulation from Kissakoski must be raised to 34 m3/s, which means that the water level will remain lower than usual in May and June. If a derogation is granted, the water level of Lake Puula could be raised closer to its normal level in the early summer.

Of the lakes in the northern part of the river basin, the water level of Lake Keitele has remained significantly below the seasonal average since last May. According to the forecast, it will only rise slightly in April. The water level of Lake Pielavesi-Nilakka has risen slightly at the end of March and will continue rising in April. The water levels of both lakes are likely to remain much lower than usual in the summer again.