MUSTBE

Not Only Sustainable but Also Economical – The MUSTBE Seminar Was All About Nature-Based Solutions

The MUSTBE project’s stormwater seminar in Pori, Finland, clarified how valuable innovative stormwater solutions can be and how much potential there is for a more sustainable future for urban stormwater management. The hybrid event brought together almost 50 participants both online and in person from various backgrounds to learn more and exchange information about the different aspects of stormwater management.

MUSTBE seminar and the speaker Minna Keinänen-Toivola.
As extreme weather conditions are predicted to become more common in the future, efficient stormwater management is becoming more important in the urban environment, explained Adjunct Professor, Chief Researcher Minna Keinänen-Toivola from Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. Photo: Krista Valkonen.

Different countries, different cities, different problems – yet all stormwater management related issues can be solved with nature-based solutions (later in the text: NBS). This comment was made by one of the six MUSTBE seminar’s speakers, Adjunct Professor, Chief Researcher Minna Keinänen-Toivola from Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. According to her, the diversity of the NBS developed in the project demonstrates how efficient and versatile they can be.

The versatility of NBS was also highlighted by Kerta Kõiv, chartered engineer in water supply and sewerage from TalTech, whose presentation dealt with multidimensional analysis. In addition to solving the primary problem – quality and quantity aspects of stormwater treatment – there were secondary beneficial functionalities taken into account in the analysis of the seven pilot site solutions. All in all, analysis was done in four categories: flooding reduction, water quality improvement, cooling effect and well-being impact.

–  As the urban areas have limited space for NBS, it is important to understand the purpose of the solution and apply as many different benefits as possible, Kõiv pointed out.

Quantity and Quality, Equally Important

In stormwater management, both stormwater quality and quantity are equally important. At the seminar, Technical Manager Ville Kuoppala from BK-Hydrometa Ltd. explained the benefits of online monitoring. He used the Pori wetland pilot site as a case example. The monitoring solutions gather information on both water quality and quantity but also about weather conditions, for example.

Furthermore, information is pulled out from existing databases such that the effectiveness of the solution can be assessed. Pori’s wetland pilot site represents problems especially caused by poor water quality, acid sulphate soil (AS-soil) to be exact, and about this topic Anna-Maria Tuovinen, specialist from Pyhäjärvi Institute, shed light on environmental problems related to AS-soils. It is estimated that in Finland, the leaching of certain metals, such as nickel and cobalt, from AS-soils into waterbodies exceeds the total discharge from all industrial effluents in the country. Acid and metal loading from AS-soils have negative impacts on, for example, fish reproduction, ecosystem balance and plant growth. They also cause corrosion in infrastructure. Tuovinen also spoke about preliminary results of the HAPPASU project which aims for better water management of AS-soils in the water catchment area of the river Eurajoki.

Pay Attention to Areas Prone to Stormwater Problems

Development Engineer Mikko Sane from the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) delved into the technical point of view of flood risk management. The subject is topical as pluvial flood risks are increasing​, and as a result of climate change, it has been estimated that average rainfall will increase about 10% by the end of the century.

Simultaneously, cities are densifying and causing challenges for stormwater treatment: there are more and more impervious surfaces and​ the capacity of the existing stormwater network is insufficient – if corrective actions are not taken. Sane reminds to pay attention to areas prone to stormwater​.

– Areas prone to pluvial flooding and stormwater problems are mapped with flood information systems. While stating the obvious, but it is a fact that building or densifying should be avoided. Instead, building stormwater management solutions in the catchment area is encouraged, such as NBSs, basins and swales, Sane said.

In summary, building climate resilience should be considered in urban planning for future adaption. As Minna Keinänen-Toivola stated in her presentation, raising awareness ​and communication are needed for making the policies and strategies for ​sustainable stormwater ​management more widely known. They are also key elements in the process leading to the implementation and increased use of NBSs.

Presentations

Presentations have been collected to a separate news item.

Photo gallery – click to enlarge the photo

Siim Reinla in his the Lead Partner role briefly told about the MUSTBE project.
Kerta Kõiv from TalTech explained Kerta Kõiv mentioned that in addition to multidimensional analysis, a cost-benefit analysis has also been done for the MUSTBE pilot site solutions. The outcome is that all of them are proven cost-efficient.
Ideas were collected on how to control stormwater.
Minna Keinänen-Toivola emphasized the importance of communication and awareness raising.
Ville Kuoppala from BK-Hydrometa used Pori’s wetland as an example in his presentation focussing on online monitoring.
Aleksi Siirtola works as the MUSTBE Project Manager with the city of Pori.
The seminar program included a visit to one of two Pori’s MUSTBE pilot sites, the construction site of the stormwater tree solution. One of the unique features of the solutions is that it is the project’s only NBS without any kind of pond.

Writers and editors: Krista Valkonen, Hanna Kajander and Meri-Maaria Salo