Seawater to be pumped into Töölönlahti Bay in hopes to clear up central amenity area
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A pile of pipes, 350 metres in all, lies on the shore of Humallahti Bay, close to Helsinki's Sibelius Park, waiting to be installed on the bottom of the sea in the middle of May. The plan is to conduct seawater from Humallahti to Töölönlahti Bay. The idea is to restore the attractiveness of the closed-in bay, which is a focal point of one of the key recreation areas in Central Helsinki. Töölönlahti is the marine inlet that numbers Finlandia Hall and the National Opera among the buildings on its shores.
The project commenced in November 2004 and is scheduled to be completed in July.
The pumped-in seawater will cross a part of western central Helsinki in a free-flowing tunnel, and will then be pumped into Töölönlahti from its northwest corner, and the outlet point from the pipe will be dredged and then protected with a reinforcement net to prevent erosion.
The idea is to pump half a cubic metre of seawater per second into the bay from May until October when the bay is not frozen.
The budget for the whole project is about EUR one million, and plans have been on the drawing-board for years.
In fact, the first suggestions to improve the condition of the area date back over a century.
Director General Pekka Kansanen from the City of Helsinki Environment Centre says the water in Töölönlahti will start becoming clearer only gradually.
"This summer the water may even be cloudier than before because of the construction work."
The aim of the cleaning operation is to improve the condition of the bay from tolerable to satisfactory. The bay will become a more enjoyable area to visit and even fish may be put in for anglers.
So far there are no definite plans to add a bathing beach to Töölönlahti.
The project commenced in November 2004 and is scheduled to be completed in July.
The pumped-in seawater will cross a part of western central Helsinki in a free-flowing tunnel, and will then be pumped into Töölönlahti from its northwest corner, and the outlet point from the pipe will be dredged and then protected with a reinforcement net to prevent erosion.
The idea is to pump half a cubic metre of seawater per second into the bay from May until October when the bay is not frozen.
The budget for the whole project is about EUR one million, and plans have been on the drawing-board for years.
In fact, the first suggestions to improve the condition of the area date back over a century.
Director General Pekka Kansanen from the City of Helsinki Environment Centre says the water in Töölönlahti will start becoming clearer only gradually.
"This summer the water may even be cloudier than before because of the construction work."
The aim of the cleaning operation is to improve the condition of the bay from tolerable to satisfactory. The bay will become a more enjoyable area to visit and even fish may be put in for anglers.
So far there are no definite plans to add a bathing beach to Töölönlahti.
Helsingin Sanomat