Tampere plans to deposit millions of cubic meters of rock into local lakes affecting aquatic ecosystems in Finland

The city of Tampere, known for its appealing urban environment, is planning to deposit millions of cubic meters of rock into local lakes, thereby creating new building areas near the city center. Over the past few years, land has been developed in Lake Näsijärvi, and according to the development plan for Vinikka Bay, further hectares will be lost from Lake Pyhäjärvi. The city council approved the area’s zoning plan in August.

This dumping of rock will completely destroy the habitat at the filling site, eliminating water and substrate for fish, benthic organisms, and aquatic plants. Research on the ecological impacts of such activities is lacking, not just in Tampere but across Finland. Interviews with researchers from various universities revealed a significant gap in foundational studies regarding the ecological consequences of such landfills.

Liminology Professor Jukka Horppila from the University of Helsinki emphasized the need for comprehensive research to understand the ecological community post-filling, including the conditions for aquatic flora and fauna. Kimmo T. Tolonen, a special researcher at SYKE, highlighted the insufficient knowledge about coastal environments and their ecological significance in lakes, particularly those that often fall beneath filling projects.

Preparations are underway for new landfilling activities in the vicinity of the city center, with a planned lakeside community for around 3,000 residents set to replace part of Lake Pyhäjärvi. Furthermore, the new zoning in Tohloppijärvi allows filling to extend 5-15 meters towards the open water, signaling a trend towards more significant interventions in Finland’s lake ecosystems.

Concerns remain about how these activities may impact ecological systems, the quality of fish as food sources, and the broader health of the aquatic environments involved.