Finland, Gennarby

On the north side of the lake there is a permanent settlement and on the south side a few recreational properties, located there because of the lake. Agriculture is also practiced in the area.

In the Nytorp pilot an automatic water quality probe was bought and installed into the lake Gennarbyträsket.

From the table below you can follow the measured water quality online. The data shown for conductivity, oxygen dissolved, chlorophyll a, temperature, turbidity and cyanobakteria updates in every half an hour.

The chlorophyll-a content of water describes the total phytoplankton, i.e. biomass. In an excellent classified lake, chlorophyll is below 4 μg / l and good below 10 μg / l.
 
Water turbidity is due to clay, iron, colloidal compounds or abundance of algae. Water is bright when FTU is less than 1.

In the aquatic ecosystem, oxygen is consumed by degradation and chemical reactions of organisms. In winter, normal topwater oxygen content is 12-13 mg O2 / l. In summer, the normal oxygen content is 8-9 mg O2 / l.

Problem to be solved

As the properties are quite old, so are the wastewater systems(decades-old septic tanks). Everyone takes their water from their own drinking wells, that are situated in the same property. This means there are risks for the water quality.

According to the requirements, the wastewater treatment must be improved. The villagers themselves want the water quality in the lake to remain as high as possible, and there are, for example, no conventional outboard motors allowed on the lake, only electric motors. In addition, every villager desires a better quality of drinking water from the municipal water utility.

Project Activities in the Village

The objective of the project is to construct water and sewage pipes to connect to the municipal system. The old, overhead powerlines will be dismantled and replaced with underground cables. At the same time fiber optic cables will be installed in every household.

When the electric wires are placed underground, the damage caused by thunderstorms will decrease. When laying down optical fiber the most expensive work is the excavation, so it is economically sensible to carry it out simultaneusly with the power cables.

The water cooperative

Nytorp Vatten andelslag was established in order to build the common pipeline and connect it to the municipal sewer system. The build-up of the trunkline and the pumping stations was finished in the beginning of 2017 and the juctions to the households are finished during 2017. All continually inhabited properties as well as some of the leisure homes — a total of ten households — are participating in the construction project.

People in the project

The cooperative project has been made possible by funding from BSR Interreg, which is received by Western Uusimaa Water and Environment (LUVY) via VillageWaters. The construction of the pipeline, however, does not receive financial support from VillageWaters. LUVY has appointed a construction project coordinator, Bernard Lundström, to coordinate the VillageWaters- Gennarby project.

The villagers hope is that organized cooperation between the different parties will provide positive developments for the village without high costs. Cables, ground the withdrawal of the corresponding. Nytorp Vatten andelslag will install the underground pipe and cable connections. The municipality, the energy company and the operator of the optical fiber will take over the operation after the installment work is completed. 

Inhabitants’ perspective

In Gennarby, the coordinator that was hired for the project had a strong role. He involved the inhabitants with letters and meetings.

Inhabitants didn’t have big problems with the septic tanks, but many of them noted that systems were so old that renewing them was necessary. Having a good quality of fresh water and a good water quality in their lake were important issues for inhabitants. The knowledge that the wastewater system is now better for the environment increases owners’ wellbeing.

Replacing the individual old systems with common municipal system reduced the maintenance and responsibilities needed from the inhabitants. Yearly costs were increased due to wastewater charge paid for the municipality (versus emptying septic tanks).

The quality of tap water has changed; it is colder and the taste is different. So far there haven’t been any problems in the new system. Owners are responsible for their own pumps. There is a light that alarms if something is wrong.

The water co-operative has grown to the surrounding areas and they are building new water pipes.