Helsinki residents will soon enjoy cleaner water in Töölönlahti recreational inlet

Over 100 swimmers celebrated opening of seawater pipeline with moonlit dip

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A 300-year-old dream of pumping clean water into the Töölönlahti inlet in Central Helsinki finally became a reality on Thursday evening, when a 1,700-metre seawater pipeline from the Humallahti bay was switched on.
      The pipeline starts with a 350-metre intake pipe at the bottom of Humallahti, the diameter of which is 1.2 metres. An underground pumping station in Savila pumps a bathtubful of seawater per second through piping that is laid in a former sewer tunnel.
      The Mayor of Helsinki Jussi Pajunen (Nat. Coalition) was one of the 105 brave souls to celebrate the opening of the pipeline by taking a moonlight swim. A large crowd of onlookers witnessed the occasion.
      The evening was just about perfect, with a cosy temperature of 19 degrees Centigrade, and illuminated by the moon next to the Lutheran Cathedral.
     
As water in Töölönlahti is presently rated as "passable", the swimmers did not need to be disinfected after the dip. A mere shower was quite sufficient.
      Some Helsinki residents still recall the times when those unfortunate enough to have fallen into the inlet had to be taken briskly to receive hospital treatment.
      Water in Humallahti, the source of the pipeline, is only a notch better, rated as "satisfactory".
     
The aim of improving the water quality in Töölönlahti is to restore the inlet's natural state as a slightly eutrophicated bay, where one can enjoy rowing, paddling, and fishing, or just walking along the shoreline.
      Fish are likely to be introduced in due course, and there are talks of setting up a bathing beach as well. Plans have also been drawn up for a beautiful park with canals at the south end of the inlet..
     
Director General Pekka Kansanen from the City of Helsinki Environment Centre points out that the restoration of the inlet will not happen overnight. The nutrients accumulated at the bottom may easily be set in motion, which will in turn slow down the recovery process.
      "We have made provision for the possibility that the bottom may need to be treated with chemicals over the next few years. Also, the inlet may have to be dredged at some point. That is not to say that this investment was of no purpose. Clean water was definitely needed", Kansanen explains.
     
At best, Töölönlahti is only two metres deep. As six millimetres of sediment pile up at the bottom each year, the whole inlet would turn into a grassy puddle within the next 200 years.
      The Helsinki residents first complained about the polluted state of Töölönlahti's predecessor Kluuvinlahti to the King of Sweden at the end of the 18th century.
      The total cost of the project so far is EUR 1.2 million. Maintenance expenses are expected to take up EUR 20,000 per year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Seawater to be pumped into Töölönlahti Bay in hopes to clear up central amenity area (8.4.2005)
  Töölönlahti fountain switched on as snowfall hits Helsinki (22.4.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat