Fresh and clean water may seem self-evident to many Finns, but maintaining our freshwater reserves also in the future requires extensive water research. Saastamoinen Foundation, together with the University of Eastern Finland, the Rasvanki-Virmasvesi cooperative, and the R. Erik and Bror Serlachius Foundation, support the expansion of domestic water research cooperation and knowledge sharing in Finland.
The mission of Saastamoinen Foundation is to support the work of artists and researchers in the long term and promote their international networks. One of the Foundation’s long-term partners is the University of Eastern Finland, whose interdisciplinary freshwater research the Saastamoinen Foundation has supported since 2019. Finnish freshwater research is particularly important as the state and quality of water broadly affect the wellbeing of ecosystems and biodiversity. The state of freshwater and its changes also affect the living conditions of migratory fish and species diversity.
Monitoring equipment for water quality is often located in places where, for example, industrial emissions are measured. There is less measurement on how changing winters, nutrient load, pollutants from microplastics to pharmaceuticals and heavy metals, and recreational use of the water environment affect the state of the water. The “Taimen takaisin” (i.e. Bring Back the Trout) development project, supported by the North Savo ELY Centre and led by the Rasvanki-Virmasvesi cooperative, promotes national fisheries objectives through trout fry stocking, stream restoration measures, and follow-up studies. The Rasvanki-Virmasvesi cooperative needs measuring stations especially to clarify the possibilities of natural reproduction of lake trout and the variation of critical conditions.
“Continuous measuring stations have not yet been used in the shareholder community’s water area, and elsewhere they are mainly used for mandatory monitoring of emission source water quality,” says Timo Oranen, secretary of the Rasvanki-Virmasvesi cooperative.
Saastamoinen Foundation has granted the Rasvanki-Virmasvesi cooperative a grant of 33,000 euros for the acquisition of three continuous monitoring stations in the Matilanjoki-Keihäsjärvi area. The total cost of the project is 38,000 euros, to which the University of Eastern Finland’s water research programme also contributes 5,000 euros. In addition to equipment purchases, a lot of volunteer work is needed in the construction of measurement points and the taking of water samples.
“Year-round measurement is important because it is the only way to get data on the changing living conditions with daily accuracy. Random measurements do not provide a sufficient overall picture of the prevailing environment. The new measuring stations provide real-time information on water temperature, acidity, electrical conductivity, and oxygen situation for all researchers to use. Measurement data is supplemented by taking water samples for analysis in the laboratory to determine a more detailed composition,” explains Oranen.
Multifaceted cooperation promotes broader water research
The Syvänniemi measurement stations will become part of a broader water research initiative, which includes the Saastamoinen Foundation, the University of Eastern Finland and the Rasvanki-Virmasvesi cooperative, as well as the R. Erik and Bror Serlachius Foundation. The measuring devices will be connected to the same EMMI system as the Capeenpuro measuring devices of the R. Erik and Bror Serlachius Foundation. Capeenpuro is a 1.2-kilometre-long stream area completed in 2024, from which valuable information is collected for the development of stream restoration methods. The opening ceremony will be held on Saturday, 25 May 2024 and the event is open to all. The Capeenpuro project involves the University of Jyväskylä, the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Environment Institute.
The parameters of the measuring devices to be placed in Lake Keihäsjärvi in the summer of 2024 have been designed in cooperation with the University of Eastern Finland’s freshwater research.
New measurement data can be shared with the three universities, the Finnish Environment Institute, and the local cooperative’s own stakeholders. In the future, the database of the measuring devices will also be expanded for use by artists and researchers at the international residency centre to be built in Syvänniemi.
Research and art combine in a new residency environment
In addition to funding water research, Saastamoinen Foundation wants to expand local research cooperation and create a new environment for freshwater research. A new international residency will be built in the surroundings of the old Syvänniemi spool factory, bringing together artists and researchers. The residency enables the creation of new domestic and international networks and participation in the research of even larger water areas. The new measuring devices and the new research network strengthen the Foundation’s commitment to freshwater research in the area and offer opportunities for the study of sensitive ecosystems for both researchers and artists. Saastamoinen Foundation aims to open the site in 2028, when the Foundation will celebrate its 60th anniversary
Photo: Timo Oranen / Lake Keihäsjärvi, May 2023
