The Lake Tuusula restoration project
- The funds for the project were collected by organization of citizens
In 1998 Lake Tuusula got increasingly more publicity. After a bad summer of blue-green algae in 1997 Pro-Tuusulajärvi organisation was founded and with the help of other organizations it collected 8 643 names in a petition of citizens for the lake’s restoration.
Many well-known artists, including writers Veikko Meri and Laila Hietamies, also joined in a similar public petition, and also high-profile members of society and business life voiced their opinions on the condition of the lake.
The petition was handed to The Minister for the Environment, Pekka Haavisto, on the 2nd of October in 1998 in a celebration of Lake Tuusula held on Hyrylä market. As a greeting from the government authorities The Minister gave a promise of 2 million marks’ funding (about 335 000 euros) for the restoration of Lake Tuusula.
Even more important for the lake’s fate was, however, that on the same day the decision makers of Tuusula and Järvenpää together with the Central Uusimaa Federation of Municipalities for the Water Protection had agreed on a joint budget of 18.1 million marks (more than 3 million euros) in the next five years for the restoration of the lake.
Thus, in October 1998, all in all 20.1 million marks (nearly 3.4 million euros) was decided to be spent on the restoration of the lake, which so far is the largest amount ever to be allocated to the restoration of a single lake in Finland. The main responsibility of the funding remains on Tuusula and Järvenpää. Both the state and the municipalities plan to continue the funding for the next five-year term that started in 2004.
The progress of the restoration work is agreed on in a steering group which is made up of the representatives of the Federation of Municipalities, the town of Järvenpää and the municipality of Tuusula, the Associations of Joint Waters, the Agricultural Producers, The Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre and of the Pro-Tuusulajärvi organization.
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