St. Petersburg wastewater treatment boosted - cooperation to improve the state of the Gulf of Finland continues

An efficient phosphorus removal system has been commissioned at St. Petersburg's Central Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will reduce eutrophication of the Gulf of Finland. Participants at the inauguration in St. Petersburg included, among others, Finnish President Tarja Halonen, the new Minister of the Environment of Finland Kimmo Tiilikainen, and Chairman of the John Nurminen Foundation, Juha Nurminen. The total price tag for the phosphorus removal investment at the central treatment plant is around 1.9 million euros, of which about 0.6 million euros were financed by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment.

The project is part of an ongoing long-term cooperation programme between Vodokanal of St. Petersburg, the city's water and wastewater utility, and the Ministry of the Environment of Finland. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of the Environment and the St. Petersburg Central Wastewater Treatment Plant was signed by Environment Minister Kimmo Tiilikainen and General Director of Vodokanal Felix Karmazinov.

Phosphorus removal a cost-effective method of combating blue-green algae

The phosphorus removal process of the St. Petersburg Central Wastewater Treatment Plant is, according to research, the single most cost-effective measure available for improving the ecological state of the Gulf of Finland. It will reduce phosphorus loading of the Gulf of Finland by 300-500 tonnes per year, equalling to some 5-8% of its total phosphorus load.

Vodokanal's objective for all of its treatment plants is to reach below the 1.0 mg/l maximum effluent phosphorus concentration required by the European Union. This is considerably lower than the 1.5 mg/l target level recommended by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM).

Phosphorus removal at St. Petersburg's treatment plants is carried out in cooperation with a number of actors. The John Nurminen Foundation's Clean Baltic Sea project has secured funding from Finnish companies and from private persons, and the Ministry of the Environment of Finland has funded the necessary equipment deliveries and on-site tests on phosphorus removal. The on-site tests are being done to determine how to carry out most cost-effectively joint chemical and biological phosphorus removal. The aim of the tests is to achieve a post-treatment maximum wastewater phosphorus content of 0.5 mg/l.

Cooperation with Vodokanal to continue

The primary objective of the new Memorandum of Understanding concerning the years 2008-2011 is to further reduce the wastewater load from the city of St. Petersburg. The Ministry of the Environment of Finland will continue to prioritise support for projects that have an immediate impact on improving the state of the Gulf of Finland. Such projects include constructing the Neva river sewer tunnel, halting the discharges of untreated wastewater and improving wastewater treatment efficiency.

The basis for cooperation is a comprehensive study completed one year ago on cost-effective water protection investments in St. Petersburg.

Since the establishment of the cooperation programme in 1991, Vodokanal of St. Petersburg has implemented nearly 100 projects aimed at developing its water and wastewater operations. The Ministry of the Environment of Finland has contributed some 28 million euros in project financing.

• Protection of the Baltic Sea
• Clean Baltic Sea ( John Nurminen Foundation)

   

Kristiina Isokallio, Director, Central and East European Cooperation, Ministry of the Environment,Tel. +358 50 581 9618, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Laura Saijonmaa, Senior Adviser, Ministry of the Environment,
Tel. +358 40 546 3344, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi

Translation of a press release published in Finnish on 1.10.2007