WetEST directs 30 million euros towards improving the condition of West-Estonian river basin district

Image: Aivi Allikmets

The project LIFE SIP WetEST, which starts this year, will improve the state of the West-Estonian river basin district over the next nine years by covering a wide range of topics ranging from agriculture and nutrients in the water to melioration, surface watershed remediation and digital solutions. The total cost of the project is EUR 29.8 million, 60% of which is financed by the European Commission and 40% is co-financed by the Republic of Estonia.

According to Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet, improving the state of rivers, lakes and coastal water in the West Estonian basin is crucial both for maintaining our natural environment and for improving the quality of life of our people. "A healthy aquatic environment supports the richness of life, improves the well-being of local communities, and maintains alignment with climate goals. This project is an important step on the road to achieving strategic goals for water management," the minister said.

The project addresses pollution problems in shallow bays and lakes, for example. In order to improve the condition of the Haapsalu Bay, algae and mussel cultivation is set up and up to 100 tons of small-sized planktivorous sunbleak are caught out of Lake Harku over a five-year period to restore the balance of the Lake Harku ecosystem. In addition, the project plans to raise 60 million euros of additional funds from European Union programmes and other funds to ensure the continued well-being of the watershed.

Both surface and groundwater conditions are particularly worsened by nutrients from agriculture and hazardous substances that reach water bodies from wastewater, industries, storm water, waste management sites and other sources in the settlements. The rivers are also affected by dams as well as land improvement, while the state of the groundwater is affected by water extraction.

EIC provides support to the Ministry of Climate in the management of the entire project and participates in all work packages. In addition, KIK is leading the work package for bringing additional investment, writing projects in the EU's central funds along with designing novel financial incentives. EIC is also responsible for launching green accelerators to promote innovative water reuse technologies and sustainable marine management.

The project aims to improve water management and involve environmental users in water quality restoration and improvement activities. Environmentally friendly solutions are piloted in land improvement work on agricultural and forest land, and remote monitoring services are being developed to monitor water quality.

The project LIFE SIP WetEST will run until the end of 2033. The project is led by the Ministry of Climate and the project consortium has a total of 17 partners - University of Tartu, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University and partners who are involved in monitoring, analysis, and supervision - The Environmental Agency, The Environmental Board, The Estonian Environmental Research Center, The Agriculture and Food Board, The Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge, and The Estonian Land and Spatial Development Board

Further financial resources are organised by the partner Environmental Investment Centre, topics are communicated to the public by Estonian Public Broadcasting, water management stakeholders are involved by the Baltic Environmental Forum, agricultural producers are engaged by the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, legal advice is provided by the Estonian Environmental Law Center, volunteers are involved by NGO Wildlife Estonia, and the partner for IT developments is The Information Technology Centre of the Ministry of the Environment.

Source: Press release of the Ministry of Climate and EIC