Initiative to investigate the overall situation of groundwater in the Hyrylä area

In recent years, there has been a lot of construction in Tuusula, especially in Hyrylä. In addition, there are plans for numerous new residential and employment areas, which may have a particular impact on groundwater formation and quality.

Many of the current zoning projects are located either directly on top of groundwater areas or in areas where stormwater runoff flows into areas that are significant for groundwater formation. The inability of stormwater to be absorbed into paved terrain poses a significant risk to groundwater levels.

The groundwater situation has been a topic of discussion in Tuusula for quite some time. Partially completed projects, such as Rykmentinpuisto and Sula, have already been found to cause “most likely temporary or permanent changes in the Hyrylä groundwater area” (Pöyry 2013) during the planning stage. The municipality has studied the impact of construction on groundwater in individual planning areas and sought to minimise environmental impacts. However, the ELY Centre, for example, has issued several critical statements on the harmful effects of construction on groundwater, even though it has had access to the background materials and reports on the zoning.

The 2019 report on groundwater yield in Hyrylä also states the following: “Considering the land use and water intake capacity in the Hyrylä area, construction activities should not further reduce the amount of groundwater formed. On the contrary, sufficient groundwater formation in the area should be ensured, for example, through good stormwater solutions” (Pöyry 2018). To support decision-making, it would be important to know whether, for example, these good stormwater solutions have been achieved. It would also be good to know what the current yield situation in the area is – will the necessary amount of groundwater be accumulated even after the completion of the ongoing construction projects?

One might ask whether the overall impact of construction on groundwater formation and quality has been sufficiently taken into account in Tuusula. The groundwater areas in Tuusula constitute a significant regional water reserve, the importance of which may also be emphasised in situations involving security of supply. We propose that a report be prepared on the groundwater situation, taking into account the risks already identified in connection with construction and assessing the overall impact of the currently decided and future zoning projects in accordance with the zoning plan on groundwater in the Hyrylä area.

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