Objectives
The objective of the Clean Soil Programme is to identify nationally significant, ‘orphan’ contaminated areas, whose polluter cannot be identified or reached, or the investigation or remediation of which would be manifestly unreasonable for another party. The programme promotes the identification and remediation of sites that are urgent for the environment and health, and the aim is to manage the potential risks of these areas in a sustainable manner.
The programme is divided into two parts:
- Investigating the contamination of sites and assessing the need for risk and remediation
- remediation of contaminated sites and other risk management.
The key objectives of the programme are presented in the National risk management strategy for contaminated land in Finland, which was published in 2015. The key goal of the strategy is that the health and environmental risks posed by contaminated sites will have been contained in a sustainable manner by 2040.
Implementation
Implementation of the programme is concentrated with the Finnish Supervisory Agency. The identification and remediation of sites can be supported by:
- a government grant, in which the applicant is responsible for implementing the project. The government contributes to payment of the project costs. This is the primary form of support, which is the fastest way to get things started.
- organising, in which case the Finnish Supervisory Agency organises the investigation or remediation of contamination together with the partner and the costs are shared. Only in exceptional cases can the Finnish Supervisory Agency organise investigation and remediation entirely with state funds
Approximately 30-40 sites are selected annually for the Clean Soil Programme. Risk sites are scored nationally by utilising the National Soil Database System (MATTI).
The scoring uses a model that takes into account, among other things, the distances between potentially contaminated areas and nature reserves, groundwater areas, water bodies and settlements. The sites are negotiated with the Soil Protection Group of the Finnish Supervisory Agency, which can also propose other high-risk sites that meet the conditions for organising them on the basis of regional information. The investigation of each site is also negotiated with the municipality and other possible interested parties. An appealable decision is made concerning the organising of an investigation.
In the Clean Soil Programme, we promote sustainable risk management all the way from the investigation stage to remediation.
- In competitive tendering for both investigation and remediation, we offer consultants the opportunity to join the Green Deal, wherein we pay a higher rate when fossil-free machines are used in a given project.
- Remediation is always based on the risk, i.e. the programme does not remediate areas unnecessarily or just to be on the safe side.
- If a need for remediation is found on an investigated site on the basis of research conducted, we require sustainability assessment using the KESY model, which was developed for the Clean Soil Programme, or a similar tool. A sustainability assessment takes into account the economic, social and ecological impacts of a project.
Results
The programme has investigated and remediated sites contaminated by landfills, shooting ranges, sawmills, impregnation plants and other industrial activities.
By the end of 2025, the following will be funded by the state in the Clean Soil Programme:
Contamination investigated at more than 320 sites.
More than 33 nationally prioritised risk sites remediated sustainably.
government grant awarded under the PIMA Act (since 1 January 2020):
- to investigate contamination and risks at 58 sites.
- to remediate 46 sites.
The results for each year are presented in more detail in annual reports in Finnish (only accessible ones listed below):
Contact person
Kari Pyötsiä, Finnish Supervisory Agency, [email protected], +358 295 255 046
