Watershed Safety Plan – A New Tool for Water Protection

It is a known fact that an increasing number of areas will face water stress in the future. We have to take even the smallest water sources into use, we have to reuse waters more often and we have to save fresh water as much as possible. This all requires more attention to so-called diffuse pollution as well. We have to reduce water pollution caused not only by big industry and by centralised wastewater services but by every single source/activity no matter how small it is also. This paper describes the differences between point source and diffuse pollution and how the legislation in Finland has developed to remove some diffuse pollution sources into the category of point source pollution. It is most evident that the development will continue when water analyses become more accurate and specific and when we are able to get online data from watersheds due to advanced digital solutions. A new tool called Watershed Safety Plan (WSSP), to eliminate even the smallest diffusion pollution sources, is now under piloting in Finland. The WSSP approach can be seen as a follower to Water Safety Plans and Sanitation Safety Plans implemented by water utilities. The idea is to research watersheds in detail - like using a magnifying glass - to find critical points threatening water quality and to plan actions to get rid of them or diminish risks at least. The WSSP toolbox can be used to reduce risks related to water quantity as well.