© Photo: Mirjam Orvomaa
Legislation endorsing groundwater protection
National legislation:
Laws implemented on aiming to prevent the pollution and alteration of aquifers to maintain a good quantitative and qualitative state of groundwater:
- Water Act (264/1961)
- Environmental Protection Act (86/2000)
Laws on environmental goals, monitoring and assessement:
- The Act on Water Resources Management(1299/2004)
- Decree on Water Resources Management(1040/2006)
- Decree on Hazardous and Harmful Substance on Aquatic Environment (1022/2006)
- etc. national legislations where the EU directives have been implemented
EU-Directives:
- Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/06/EEC)
- Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EEC)
- Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)
Legislated means of groundwater protection
Intake protection area
- based on the Water Act (1961)
- legally-based restrictions with regard to land use in the area
- over 200 intake protection areas
- usually consist of a small part of the total groundwater area
- Protection area can be divided into sub-zones :
- intake area
- inner protection zone
- outer protection zone
- the sub-zones are based on the time it takes groundwater to reach a municipal well
Protection plans
- implemented since the early 1990’s
- established for over 1,000 groundwater areas
- aim to ensure the availability and quality of groundwater
- takes into account the entire gw area instead of only the immediate vicinity of the intake plant
- the establishing procedure is based on voluntary action and co-operation
- used as a guide in supervision of water legislation,issuing of permits, planning land use, etc
- (hydrogeological mapping, inventory of potential gw threats, risk assessment , recommendations, and operating instructions)