Floods lead to sewage discharges and bans on swimming

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The recent flooding in Southern Finland and the resulting discharge of untreated waste water from overburdened sewage treatment plants has led to the imposition of bans on swimming in the Vantaa River and sea areas near the mouth of the river in Helsinki.
      In addition to beaches on the river itself, swimming has been banned at the beaches of Kivinokka, Mustikkamaa, and Tuorinniemi.
      Sewage has been let into waters flowing through Riihimäki, Nurmijärvi, and Helsinki. Flooding has also washed fertiliser from fields, composts, and waste from septic tanks into rivers. As a result, bacteria levels are about 1,000 times higher than normal. Ingesting the water could cause stomach disorders.
     
Local and regional environmental authorities are continuing to monitor the quality of the water, which is set to improve gradually as the flow decreases.
      The Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre notes that in addition to poor water quality, the flooding rivers are dangerous because of the strong current, and because of large pieces of debris from the flood.
      "The normal flow of water in the Vantaa River in the middle of the summer is about six cubic metres a second. Now it is 180 cubic metres a second", says Leena Villa of the Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre. She also warns that the banks of swollen rivers can easily collapse.
     
The flood situation is gradually improving. On Monday, the water level in the Porvoo River came down by half a metre, and water in the Vantaa River was a few centimetres lower than before.
      The flooding peaked on Sunday, and experts believe that if the forecasts for good weather prove correct, the Vantaa River could be back to normal later this week.


Links:
  Late July downpours bring flooding to Southern Finland (2.8.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat