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CHAPTER VI: WATER
groundwater protection is needed and can be done by increasing awareness of an
importance to protect groundwater resources, hinder pollution and remediate
possibly contaminated aquifers.
Detailed studies of stratigraphy in aquifers and groundwater flow models,
groundwater recharge and discharge, in correspondence to either the present
climate situation or the different scenarios due to climate change, have to be done.
Also, the detailed mapping of all risks or potential risks may be constructed.
Groundwater level and groundwater quality monitoring in range of the
contaminant is significant. Monitoring includes also biological and
microbiological monitoring, especially during long hot dry summers. New
technologies in online measurements have progressed substantially in recent years,
so automatic monitoring is a good option.
Concrete short and long term strategies on potential economic and
environmental effects have to be taken into account. Long term investment and
management plans for the infrastructure of the water supply and management,
such as use of more durable material and long life span for the water supply
network, can ensure capacities for the unforeseen effects of the climate change in
the near future.
On a larger scale, groundwater issue is not solely local or national in the
cross-border aquifer areas, such as in eastern Finland, where the groundwater
aquifer from the First Salpausselkä formation extends to Russia. In these cases,
cooperation on the groundwater management between countries is needed.
6.7 CONCLUSION
The risks and threats concerning shallow groundwater aquifers or water supply
infrastructure are much the same all over Finland. The risks and threats are
groundwater contamination caused by different factors, over pumping; diminish in
recharge due to the increase of asphalt covers on the top of the aquifer, changes in
recharge depending on changes in air temperature or in precipitation. The aquifers
on the coastal areas have in addition to those also risks and threats caused by the
vicinity of the sea: changes in groundwater level due to sea water level changes,
intrusion of salt water into the aquifer, etc. These risks are being assessed just
recently and the preparation for these risks is yet new and requires further
development.
There are up to 600 aquifers from a total of 12,982 (Britschgi and Gustafsson
1996) in Finland located in the coast area. Changes in sea water level affect mainly
the aquifers in South Finland and thus also the water supply in these areas. On the
West coast area of Finland, the land uplift will compensate almost part of the
affect of sea level changes. According to the Fourth Assessment Report (FAR) of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007) and the sea level rise
model of the SEAREG project, the sea level rise in Hanko coastal area would
possibly reach 2.64 m by the end of 2100 based on the high case scenario. This
could hinder or prevent the water supply and management in Hanko and in many
other coast area aquifers. All the changes concerning water supply infrastructure
are expensive and take time to realize.
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