Fighting Eutrophication, one Wetland at a Time

The Västankvarn Wetland project includes the construction of two wetlands. It is a constructed Wetland built in 2019 in an area of 1.6 Ha of land. The main purpose of this project was to create a system to capture excessive nutrient runoff coming from nearby agricultural areas, from entering the coastlines in the Raseborg areas, and therefore reducing eutrophication and improving biodiversity. The project has the collaboration of multidisciplinary experts from the Bioeconomy Department of Novia UAS, Västankvarn and locals.

There were a few challenges. Pesticides represent a challenge to the wetland; they are a threat to the environment. Another problem as the sulphuric acid. The project researchers took sample of the wetland soil to check it. As a precaution, they added a few hundred tons of lime were added to the soil, to prevent the sulphuric acid to activate and be released.

This is an exciting project, and besides its benefits to eutrophication issues and the biodiversity, it will provide researchers and environmental sciences students with an excellent location to carry out their studies. The Västankvarn province is located not far from the capital city of Helsinki, making connections through roads and stations easier to visitors and researchers.