SIWat begins its work to advance industrial water reuse in Finland and Estonia

The SIWat project has now officially started its three-year journey to develop practical solutions for industrial water reuse in the Central Baltic region. The work began in early September 2025, when all partners gathered in Tallinn to align the goals, share expertise and visit the upcoming Loo Vesi pilot site. Meeting the full Finnish and Estonian project team created a strong starting point for cross-border cooperation.

During the first months, partners have focused on building a shared understanding of the regulatory framework. This includes reviewing EU regulations together with national legislation in both countries in order to identify opportunities and limitations for using reclaimed water in industrial processes, as well as municipal operations. These municipal uses may include, for example, green area irrigation and other street and infrastructure maintenance tasks that can later be tested with local actors in Finland. At the same time, earlier examples of water reuse are being collected to support the technical planning of the pilots.

Field work has also begun as preliminary sampling is underway at both pilot locations. The samples are analysed for microbes and pathogens, nutrients, metals and organic contaminants, following drinking water quality requirements. These results form the baseline for evaluating how well the planned treatment technologies can produce safe and reliable reclaimed water for different industrial uses.

In the coming months, the project will continue to refine the technical plans for the pilots in Finland and Estonia. The legislative review and sampling efforts will also move forward.

SIWat will share regular updates about progress, findings and pilot development on LinkedIn and here on the Central Baltic project webspace.