Restoring your local waters

Is a water area near you in need of restoration? How can you get the project up and running, and what do you have to remember while doing so?

Before you get on to it, find out the basic facts about the water area in question: what the problem is, and if restoration is perhaps already being planned. Websites with information about the status of lakes, rivers and coastal areas include the vesi.fi map service, Järvi-meriwiki and the Map service for water restoration. You should also not hesitate to contact experts in your municipality or at the regional ELY Centre, or a water management and protection association in your area.

The next step is considering the objectives of restoration. Is the idea to improve water quality or the recreational and ecological values of a lake or river? At this point you should liaise with all relevant parties if you have not already done so earlier. Different stakeholders may have differing ideas about the objectives that must be reconciled. Cooperation is the key to success!

Restoration projects can be promoted by a village committee or management association, and sometimes a dedicated association or committee needs to be set up. Get involved in its work!

Once you have agreed on the objectives, a restoration plan should be drawn up. In addition to the project’s technical implementation, the plan must address such issues as who owns the waters and shores and how the residents can be engaged. Estimating the costs and various effects of the project is another important step.