Prompted by the ELY Centre, the City of Helsinki will apply this autumn for an environmental permit for the operation of the Hernesaari snow dump area. It allows the determination of city-independent environmental criteria for the snow dump area for future monitoring of the environmental impacts of the operation.
Helsinki aims to stop dumping snow into the sea, but until an alternative area or method is available, the use of the Hernesaari snow dump area is necessary to ensure smooth winter traffic in the inner city. Transporting snow to more remote dump areas does not work as a quick fix as it would increase carbon dioxide emissions, cause congestion in the inner city and slow down the clearing of streets from snow.
Hernesaari is the city’s largest snow dump area
The Hernesaari snow dump area serves the snow disposal needs of southern Helsinki. The 26,000 or so loads of snow taken to Hernesaari in the winter of 2021–2022 represent about 20% of all the snow loads transported from Helsinki last winter. That makes Hernesaari the city’s largest snow dump area.
Besides the city, Hernesaari’s customers include private housing companies and other properties responsible for much of the winter maintenance of the inner city’s pavements. Thus, slightly more than half of the snow loads to Hernesaari are brought there by the properties in the inner city area.
Helsinki has studied the environmental impacts of dumping snow into the sea and is working to reduce them. A study commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment in 2020 found that littering is probably the biggest environmental problem caused by dumping snow into the sea. A littering survey was carried out on snow brought to the Hernesaari sea dumping area the year before last. According to it, solids, litter and a small amount of microplastics end up in the sea with the snow.
Most of the solids are gritting materials that sink to the bottom of the sea by the side of the dumping pier. Solids are dredged up from the sea floor regularly. Floating litter is contained by a curtain boom and collected from the surface.
Looking for alternative snow disposal methods
For the City of Helsinki to completely abandon the Hernesaari snow dump area, it must first find an alternative snow disposal method or area. New solutions are also needed for other areas besides Hernesaari as the number of existing snow dump areas will decrease with the new residential areas built in the city.
Currently, the main alternatives include developing landfill operations, using resident parking spaces for snow storage and various melting solutions. The options are being studied in terms of their environmental impacts, feasibility and costs.
Online event on 20 September
The city organises an online event for the residents and other interested parties in the area to have experts explain the operation of the snow dump area, the monitoring and mitigation of environmental impacts and the procedure for the environmental licensing process. The participants will have the opportunity to put questions to the city representatives and comment on the presentations via chat.
The event will be held on Tuesday, 20
September, at 18:00–19:30. The programme, join link, and instructions can be found on the following website (in finnish): hel.fi/asukastilaisuudet > Hernesaaren lumenvastaanottopaikan verkkotilaisuus.
The event will be recorded, and the recording will be available later on the same website for a period of two weeks.
Photo:
Suomen Ilmakuva Oy