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The Imatra region belongs to Järvi-Suomi. Its largest lakes are the sparsely-nourished and clear-water Karjalan Pyhäjärvi in the northern part of the area, which is a Natura 2000 protected area, and the fishy Simpelejärvi in Parikkala. On the border of Rautjärvi and Ruokolahti lies the ruggedly beautiful Torsa and the clean Immalanjärvi on Imatra.
Among the river waters, the mighty Vuoksi and the Rautjärvi Hiitolanjoki, freed from rapids and restored for salmon, are the most spectacular.
The wide maze of water in southern Saimaa extends to Haapavede in Ruokolahti and in front of Imatra. Lakes with sandy shores have great recreational value for the residents of the area as well as numerous summer cottagers and tourists.
The region mainly belongs to the large river basin of Vuoksi. Many lakes of Parikkala and Rautjärvi belong to the Hiitolanjoki watershed. The waters fall over the eastern border into Laatokka.
A water management plan for the years 2022–2027 has been drawn up for the Vuoksi water management area. It has been prepared by the ELY centers of the region and water management cooperation groups made up of stakeholders. In addition, a more detailed action program for the water management of Southeastern Finland for the years 2022–2027 has been prepared. It has presented measures to improve the water quality of the lakes.
Southeast Finland's water management action program for the years 2022–2027
You can easily and quickly get information about the ecological state of your own nearby lake, which also tells you about the water quality, from the Water Map. The website also has links to more detailed information on the status and monitoring of surface water and groundwater.
The water quality of the lakes in the Imatra region
The Vesi.fi website has collected a lot of general information about lakes and their phenomena. If you want to view detailed water sample data from your own home lake, you should log in to the Finnish Environment Agency's Open environmental data systems service. Part of the monitoring of water bodies is mandatory monitoring related to environmental permits of institutions or voluntary monitoring of water bodies paid for by municipalities. Blue-green algae observations can be recorded and viewed via the Vesi.fi website or in JärviWiki.
The task of the Imatra regional environmental action is to promote water protection in the municipalities of its area of operation. However, the actual actors in water protection are local residents and land owners. The water conservation measures of agriculture and forestry and the treatment of wastewater in a sparsely populated area concern many people living in the area and leisure residents.
Water protection work has been carried out e.g. In Immalanjärvi in Imatra, Purnujärvi in Rautjärvi and Nurmijärvi. Work has also been done to rehabilitate the waters of Simpelee's Kivijärvi, Uukuniemi's Kirkkolammi and Rautjärvi's Untamojärvi. A follow-up project is being planned for Immalanjärvi in 2024. In the years 2010–2012, the environmental department of the Imatra region had the Together for a Simple Lake project. The municipality of Parikkala has continued work on the ongoing renovation project 2022–2024 at Simpelejärvi.
In the years 2012–2014, the environmental action implemented the Sininen Haapavesi project. In the Fish to Benefit project 2018–2020 in Parikkala's Pien-Rautjärvi, utilization models were sought for the fish mass obtained in therapeutic fishing. Management fishing projects of cooperatives and others supported by the Southeast Finland ELY center have been implemented in Parikkala's Pien-Rautjärvi and Rautjärvi's Purnujärvi. The Saimaa vesiensujeluyhdistys ry has implemented the LAKU project, the renovation of Simpelijärvi Lahdenpohja and the northern part of Suuri Rautjärvi, in the years 2021–2023.
The Hiekkis project, which aims to protect and rehabilitate Saimaa's sandy beaches, is implemented by the Saimaa Water Conservation Association. The project also looks for suitable sandy beaches in Ruokolahti and Imatra.
Saimaa water protection association/ Projects