Regional Environmental Regional Environmental Publications Publications 374 374 Water conservation plan of an oligotrophic The plan of water and water ecosystem protection for Lake Karelian Pyhäjärvi Minna Kukkonen, Jaana Kiiski, Hannu Luotonen and Riitta Niinioja clear water lake Lake Pyhäjärvi, in Karelia, is an oligotrophic transboundary lake between Finland and Russia It is a valuable clear water lake for fishing, recreation, The plan of water and water research and nature protection It belongs to several local and national monito- ring programmes The lake is loaded mainly by non-point sources such as ecosystem protection for Lake forestry and agriculture The anthropogenic impact is evident on the Finnish side, whereas the Russian side is considered almost pristine The lake is very Karelian Pyhäjärvi vulnerable to changes Deterioration of water quality was noticed in the 1980s The water conservation done in 1990s improved the water quality Water protection is still needed at the lake, but it requires cooperation between authorities, local people, doers and industries This report introduces the lake and its catchment, summarises the land use, loading sources and quantity of the load and presents the present state of the lake In the end are introduced the water protection measures of different fields usable at Lake Pyhäjärvi INTERREG III A KARJALA Julkaisu on saatavissa myös Internetissä: http://wwwymparistofi/julkaisut ISBN 952-11-1932-2 ISBN 952-11-1933-0 (PDF) ISSN 1238-8610 For sale at: North Karelia Regional Environment Centre Torikatu 36 A, 80100 JOENSUU telephone: +358 13 141 2702 Edita Plc, Customer Service, POBox 800, FIN-00043 Edita, telephone: +358 (0) 20 450 05, telefax +358 (0) 20 450 2380 email: asiakaspalvelu@edita fi Internet: http://wwweditafi/netmarket NORTH KARELIA PL 69 NORTH KARELIA REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE 80101 JOENSUU Regional Environmental Publications 374 Minna Kukkonen, Jaana Kiiski, Hannu Luotonen and Riitta Niinioja The plan of water and water ecosystem protection for Lake Karelian Pyhäjärvi INTERREG III A KARELIA JOENSUU 2005 . .......................... NORTH KARELIA REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE The publication is available also in the internet http://www.environment.fi/pka ISBN 952-11-1932-2 ISBN 952-11-1933-0 (PDF) ISSN 1238-8610 Cover photo: Juho Kotanen Photographs: Juho Kotanen, Helge Rummukainen, Mauri Rautkari and Veikko Makkonen Figures and graphics: Anita Rämö Aerial photography permit 279/92 © National Land Survey of Finland 07/MYY/04 Layout: Tuula Ikonen Kainuun Sanomat Oy Kajaani 2005 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 2 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ North Karelia Regional Environment Centre Foreword Lake Karelian Pyhäjärvi, a transboundary lake in Finnish and Russian Karelia is a valuable clear water lake for fishing, recreation and science. It is noticed both nationally and internationally. The lake belongs to the list of protected waters established by the Nordic Council of Ministers and to the Finnish Eurowaternet since 2000. In addition the lake has been proposed to the European Union’s nature protection Network Natura 2000 where it represents an oligotrophic habitat type containing very few minerals characteristic of sandy plains, having especial importance as a habitat for submerged macrophytes. In 2002 started a Finnish – Russian joint research project “Assessment of the ecological state of the transboundary waters” under the Interreg III A Karelia pro- gramme at Lake Pyhäjärvi. The main aim of the project was to collect the present existing monitoring data and assess the ecological state of the lake in practice ha- ving Water Policy Framework Directive approach. One important task was also to develop co-operation in the practice between the two countries for the implemen- tation of the WFD in the transboundary waters. The project was carried out by North Karelia Regional Environmental Centre, Finnish Game and Fisheries Rese- arch Institute, University of Joensuu / Karelian Research Institute, Finnish Environ- ment Institute (FEI), the City of Kitee, Kesälahti municipality, Northern Water Prob- lem Institute of Karelian Research Centre, The State Centre of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of the Republic of Karelia and Committee of Natu- ral Resources in Republic of Karelia. The first part of the project was finalising the plan for water and water ecosys- tem protection for Karelian Pyhäjärvi. The plan was first published in Finnish in 2003. The English version was made to supplement the background information of Lake Pyhäjärvi for the international research and monitoring co-operation at the lake, especially the UN/ECE transboundary/international lakes pilot programme. In addition the content of English version have some interpolations such as facts about the Russian side of the lake and correction of catchment basin numbers when compared to Finnish version. The report will be published in Russian in the future by the Russian partners. The authors would like to thank all the referees, who have read and corrected the report. We would like to give special thanks to maker-up Tuula Ikonen, graphic designer Anita Rämö, photographers and all the others, who helped to accomplish this publication. Joensuu, February 2005 Minna Kukkonen Jaana Kiiski Hannu Luotonen Riitta Niinioja Regional Environmental Publications 374 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 3 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 4 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ North Karelia Regional Environment Centre Contents Foreword .......................................................................................... 3 1 Introduction.................................................................................. 7 2 Study area .................................................................................... 9 2.1 General features of the study area ........................................................................ 9 2.2 Land use ...................................................................................................................12 2.3 Conservation areas................................................................................................. 12 2.4 Population and source of livelihood ................................................................... 12 2.5 Fishing and fisheries............................................................................................... 13 2.6 Research and monitoring ...................................................................................... 14 3 Loading ...................................................................................... 16 3.1 Point source loading ............................................................................................. 16 3.1.1 Wastewater treatment plants ............................................................................ 16 3.1.2 Waste processing plants ..................................................................................... 17 3.1.3 Fish farming .......................................................................................................... 18 3.2 Diffuse loading ....................................................................................................... 18 3.2.1 Agriculture............................................................................................................ 19 3.2.2 Forestry and peat mining ................................................................................... 20 3.2.3 Fur production ...................................................................................................... 21 3.2.4 Scattered settlements ......................................................................................... 22 3.2.5 Summer cottages, camping areas and recreational accommondation services .................................................................................................................. 22 3.2.6 Leaching ................................................................................................................ 23 3.2.7 Atmospheric fallout ............................................................................................ 23 4 Water quality and the ecological state of the lake ..................... 24 4.1 Water colour and Secchi disc / transparency ...................................................... 24 4.2 pH, alkalinity and oxygen concentration ........................................................... 25 4.3 Nutrients and chlorophyll-a ................................................................................ 26 4.4 Nutrient equilibrium .............................................................................................. 28 4.5 Water quality of the inflowing waters and small lakes in the drainage area ......................................................................................................................... 29 4.6 Water quality classification.................................................................................. 29 4.7 Ecological state of the lake ................................................................................... 29 4.7.1 Phytoplankton, periphyton and algal observations ..................................... 30 4.7.2 Aquatic macrophytes .......................................................................................... 30 4.7.3 Zooplankton......................................................................................................... 31 4.7.4 Benthic invertebrates .........................................................................................