LIFE12 ENV/FI/000597 Inception Report Covering the project ... · LIFE12 ENV/FI/000597 Inception...

LIFE Project Number

LIFE12 ENV/FI/000597

Inception Report Covering the project activities from 01/08/2013 to 30/11/2013

Reporting Date

31/01/2014 Reduction of wastewater nitrogen load: demonstrations and modelling

N-SINK

Data Project

Project location Hämeenlinna, Finland

Project start date: 01/08/2013

Project end date: 31/07/2017

Total budget 1 188 260€

EC contribution: 594 130€

(%) of eligible costs 50%

Data Beneficiary

Name Beneficiary University of Helsinki, Lammi Biological Station

Contact person Mr Jussi Huotari

Postal address Pääjärventie 320, FI-16900 Lammi, FINLAND

Telephone +358 50 415 4405

Fax: +358 9 191 40746

E-mail [email protected]

Project Website http://www.helsinki.fi/lammi/NSINK/suomi.html

mailto:[email protected]

Inception report LIFE+ 2

1. Table of contents

1. Table of contents ........................................................................................................... 2

2. List of abbreviations ..................................................................................................... 3

3. Executive summary ....................................................................................................... 3

3.1. General progress .................................................................................................... 3

3.2. Assessment as to whether the project objectives and work plan are still viable ... 3

3.3 Problems encountered ............................................................................................ 3

4. Administrative part ....................................................................................................... 3

4.1. Description of project management ...................................................................... 3

4.2. Organigramme of the project team and the project management structure ........... 5

4.3. Partnership agreements status (incl. date of signature) and key content ............... 5

5. Technical part ............................................................................................................... 5

5.1. Actions .................................................................................................................. 6

5.1.1. Action A ...................................................................................................... 6

5.1.2. Action B ...................................................................................................... 7

5.1.3. Action C ...................................................................................................... 8

5.1.4. Action D ...................................................................................................... 8

5.1.5. Action E ....................................................................................................... 8

5.2. Availability of appropriate licences and authorisations ........................................ 8

5.3. Envisaged progress until next report ..................................................................... 9

6. Financial part .............................................................................................................. 11

6.1. Putting in place of the accounting system ........................................................... 11

6.2. Continued availability if co financing .................................................................. 11

6.3. Costs incurred ...................................................................................................... 11

7. Annexes ......................................................................................................................... 12

7.1. Partnership agreements ......................................................................................... 12

7.2. Deliverables ......................................................................................................... 12

7.3. Output indicators ................................................................................................. 12


2. List of abbreviations

AF Academy of Finland

AVI Regional State Administrative Agency

CAS China Academy of Science

DPHYS Department of Physics, UHEL

ELY Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment

FIWA Finnish Water Utilities Association

HS-Vesi Hämeenlinnan Seudun Vesi Oy (WWTW)

LBS Lammi Biological Station, UHEL

MTK The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners

MTT Agrifood Research Finland

SAB Project Steering and Advisory Board

SYKE Finnish Environment Institute

UHEL University of Helsinki

UJ University of Jyväskylä

WWTW Wastewater treatment work

3. Executive summary

3.1. General progress.

The beginning of the project progresses the most part as foreseen in the proposal:

mainly in the organization and coordination of the project as well as in collecting the

existing data and in planning the demonstrations. However, the late winter has

delayed our preparatory action (A1) a bit (see 3.3) but this should be no problem in

the long run. Otherwise, all the set milestones have been accomplished as planned

and everything has been going smoothly so far.

3.2. Assessment as to whether the project objectives and work plan are still viable.

The proposal is still valid and we foresee no obstacles preventing us to achieve the

goals of the project.

3.3. Problems encountered.

The measurements of the waste water discharge flow in lakes, which are needed for

the determination of the representative sampling points in Action A1, were supposed

to be done in early winter 2013–14. Due to especially warm winter and lack of

bearing ice-cover in monitoring sites even still in January, the measurements have

been delayed for several months. However, the delay should not affect the

implementation or accomplishment of the objectives of any of the actions. We expect

the ice cover to become strong enough enabling the measurements in February 2014.

4. Administrative part

4.1. Description of project management

The project consists of four different institutions with independent teams, which are

led by the team leaders responsible for implementing the action plans of the teams

(Figure 1). Lauri Arvola (Team leader of UHEL, LBS) is the project manager who

makes the final decisions in the project. Project Steering and Advisory Board (SAB)

will give opinion and expertise for the decision making of the project, as well as helps

in the dissemination of the results. SAB consists of team leaders and representatives

of the invited stakeholders. LBS has hired project coordinator, who ensures together


with the project manager and team leaders that the coordination of the different action

plans will be optimally synchronized and that the goals of the action plans will be

achieved. Project manager, project coordinator and the team leaders meet at least

twice a year in the SAB meetings and whenever it is necessary. The manager and the

coordinator have offices next to each other ensuring constant communication.

Workshops have been and will be organized between the teams for the

synchronization of the Actions. Each partner team has been organized in their own

quarters to divide the tasks within the teams.

In addition to hiring the project coordinator, the coordinating beneficiary has

organized the project kick-off meeting (1 November 2013), invited the most

important stakeholders (Ministry of the Environment, FIWA, HS-Vesi, The Finnish

Forest and Park Service, Regional Council of Häme, MTK, ELY) to participate in the

SAB and organized the first meeting of the SAB (12 December 2013). The project

manager and the project coordinator also participated in LIFE+ kick-off meeting on

14 October 2013.

All partners and stakeholders participated in the project kick-off meeting. Each

stakeholder nominated a representative to the SAB. The representatives participated

in the first SAB meeting together with the team leaders and the project coordinator.

The WWTWs chosen for the demonstrations have delivered documents needed for

construction plan of perforated sewage outlet (Keuruu and Petäjävesi) and data

needed for planning the demonstration in Paroinen.


4.2. Organigramme of the project team and the project management structure

Figure 1. Schematic figure of the project management and team structure. Team blocks

(bottom row) represent also team responsibilities of the actions as well as involvement (in

parentheses). Team members in parentheses are crucial to the project due to their expertise

but they get their salary from other sources.

4.3. Partnership agreements status (incl. date of signature) and key content

Partnership agreement was drafted by the project manager and the legal counsel of

the coordinating beneficiary according to the LIFE+ guidelines for Partnership

Agreements. It was commented by the project coordinator and the finance coordinator

of the coordinating beneficiary as well as by the legal counsels of the other

beneficiaries. The final agreement (Annex 7.1) was signed by the beneficiaries on 19

February 2014.

The key content of the agreement includes the role and obligations of the

beneficiaries, instructions of supplying the supporting material for reporting, payment

terms, ownership of results as well as publication and confidentiality of the results.

5. Technical part

The project aims to demonstrate cost efficient nitrogen abatement measures in order to

reduce nutrient load and the resulting eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. In particular, it will

demonstrate an innovative sediment filtration system for reducing nitrogen load when

wastewater nitrogen is released as nitrate. The system will use natural ecosystem service

LBS: Actions (B1), C2, D1&2 E1Lauri Arvola, team leader, project managerJussi Huotari, projectcoordinatorTiina TulonenEija Riihiranta, secretary

DPHYS: Action A1Matti LeppärantaTom Kokkonen

UJ: Actions (A1)&A2, B1, C1Marja Tiirola, team leaderSanni AaltoSatu Paukku, financialsecretaryOlli Nousiainen(Hannu Nykänen, teammember)(Antti Rissanen, teammember)(Ville Juusela, team member)

SYKE: Actions (A1), B2, C3, (B3)Catchment modelling:Katri Rankinen, team leaderKirsti GranlundMarkus HuttunenMarie Thouvenot-Korppoo

Lake modelling:Janne Ropponen Janne Juntunen

Water quality:Marko JärvinenIrina BergströmJose Cano Bernal

Aila Riihentaus, financial secretary

MTT: Action B3Lassi Ahlvik, team leaderTiina Kituniemi, financialsecretaryN.N.(Kari Hyytiäinen, externalresearcher, teammemeber)

Team leaders

Project managerLauri Arvola

Project coordinatorJussi Huotari

Steering and Advisory Board:

Stakeholder representatives:Kari Aikio (MTK Häme), Timo Heinonen (HS-Vesi; WWTW), Jari Ilmonen (The Finnish Forest and Park Service), Jorma Kaloinen (Ministry of the Environment), Harri Mäkelä (ELY-Häme), Heikki Pusa (Regional Council of Häme), SaijariinaToivikko (FIWA), Tiina Nõges (Estonia)


provided by the microbes of the sediment. It will increase both the area and time that

nitrified waste water will be in contact with the reducing microbes and thus is supposed to

increase the reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas (denitrification) and release of nitrogen

from water into the atmosphere. The effects of various abatement measures of nutrient

loading will be modelled and the estimates of the most cost-efficient nitrogen removal

measures with improved spatial resolution will be provided. Schematic illustration of the

project structure is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Schematic figure of the project structure

5.1. Actions (please follow the structure of your proposal).

5.1.1. Action A

A1: We selected Hämeenlinna/Paroinen, Keuruu and Petäjävesi for the sediment

filtration demonstration sites due to their proximity to LBS and UJ and based on

the interviews with representatives of water utility staff and authorities (M 1.1).

We have collected maps and other documentation needed for planning a

construction of perforated sewage outlet, as well as water chemistry data of the

WWTWs for reference to monitoring in Actions C1 and 2 and for planning the

demonstration for part of the discharge in Hämeenlinna/Paroinen WWTW. Flow

measurements and wastewater discharge flow simulations have been planned to

take place during the ice-cover of the lakes and will be conducted as soon as the

lakes freeze over, after which the most representative monitoring points can be

determined. The flow measurements have been delayed due to late winter but

that will not affect our objectives. The description of monitoring points is

connected in the proposal to M 1.1 (due date 31 January 2014) incorrectly, as the

selection of monitoring points is based on flow measurements conducted during

the winter 2014. The demonstration sites will be described together with the flow

directions of the monitoring sites by 31 December 2014 (M 5.1 and M 6.1).

A2: We have contacted the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI Western

and Inland Finland) and found out that we should apply water permit for the

demonstrations conducted in Keuruu and Petäjävesi (D 1.1). We have contacted

water protection associate of Kokemäenjoki, which has preliminary agreed to

Action E – Project management

Action E – Project management

Action D1 –Cost-efficient

combinations of measures

Wider impacts for applications

Othercommunication

and dissemination

Action D2 – AfterLife Plan

Action C1 & 2 –N-SINK Moni

Action B1 –N-SINK demo

Action A –Preparation Of B1

Action C3 –Model Moni

Action B2.1 –INCA-model

Action B2.2 –VEMALA-model

Action B3 –Economic module


prepare the documents needed for water permit application. We have been in

contact with ELY-Häme about the need of permit for demonstration in

Paroinen/Hämeenlinna WWTW. Due to differences in the effluent discharges

and the use of only part of the discharge in the demonstration in

Paroinen/Hämeenlinna WWTW, we probably do not need a permit. We will

check that from AVI Southern Finland shortly when the detailed plan for the

demonstration has been prepared.

5.1.2. Action B

B1: Lake modellers of SYKE attended a discussion with researchers of UJ and

LBS of choosing demonstration areas. To enable measurement of representative

monitoring points and construction plan for extended perforated sewage outlet,

scuba diver chased down, checked the spatial construction of and marked the end

of waste water discharge pipe with buoy in Keuruu and Petäjävesi on 15

November 2013.

We decided to conduct the first demonstration action in Keuruu WWTW in

summer 2014 and the second one in Petäjävesi WWTW in summer 2015. The

construction plan for the extended perforated sewage outlet was ordered from

Pöyry PLC (section of Waste water treatment plants, contact persons Antti

Harinen and Eeva Ronni) and was delivered at the end of January 2014.

In Paroinen WWTW located in Lake Vanajavesi, the demonstration site was

visited and lake sediment, as well as both lake water and WWTW outlet water,

was sampled for preliminary analysis. Water discharge from Paroinen WWTW is

different from that in Keuruu and Paroinen, as the treated wastewater is released

to a small stream (Rautamonoja) draining into a shallow bay of Lake Vanajavesi,

instead of being led through a discharge pipe deeper in the lake. This allows us to

test a different approach in the N-SINK demonstration in order to extent the time

the treated waste water is in contact with lake sediment: part of the discharge of

Rautamonoja is led through a pipe on the shallow sediments and the perforated

sewage outlet is covered with filtration fabric to prevent treated effluent water

immediately to be mixed in the lake water. To be able to estimate the

effectiveness of this approach we will use watertight fencing around the sediment

filtration area and measure the difference in chemical constituents between inlet

and outlet water. Land owner under the influence of our demonstration action

was found out and contacted and his attitude was very positive. We will start the

demonstration in Paroinen in summer 2015.

B2 and 3: SYKE together with MTT organized a workshop for researchers

(M4.1, on 19 December 2013 in SYKE), where a plan on how to combine

catchment, lake and economical models to calculate cost effective allocation of

nutrient abatement measures at watershed level was made. Shortly, catchment

and lake models will provide information on nitrogen retention and nitrogen

loading, which is needed to economic model, which will form the main part of

the tool. We decided that the main agricultural scenarios to be modelled are

based on current agri-environmental programme. We are in time with these

actions.


5.1.3. Action C

C1: Baseline denitrification activity, dissimilatory nitrate reduction, N2O and

other ecosystem parameters have been monitored bimonthly in Keurusselkä and

the monitoring will continue. First monitoring in Petäjävesi will be done at the

beginning of February 2014.

C2: In Paroinen/Lake Vanajavesi we will start monitoring during spring/early

summer 2014.

UJ, LBS, DPHYS and SYKE kept a meeting concerning the monitoring and

modelling actions of the demonstrations on 20 January 2104 in Jyväskylä.

We have plans to apply additional external funding for the most expensive

analyses in Action C1 and 2, due to the shortage in our budget caused by the cut

off in the late phase of the application process, and use the results in the project.

The analyses, in which the external funding is needed, are for denitrification and

N2O, which both are crucial in estimation the effectiveness of our demonstration

actions. One possibility is to apply funding from FIWA; the next call open for

proposals until the end of February 2014.

5.1.4. Action D

For communication and dissemination, we opened project www-pages (D8.1;

http://www.helsinki.fi/lammi/NSINK/suomi.html) on 20 September 2013. All the

reports, instructions, appearances in media etc. documentation are shared among

partners, stakeholders and all other interested individuals in www- pages. We

organized starting seminar on 1 November 2013 at LBS, with 24 participants

(D8.2; Annex 7.2). University Communications and Community Relations gave

a press release about the project and two general public articles have been

published: one in the local newspaper and another in the customer magazine of

Hämeenlinnan Seudun Vesi Oy. The presentation about the project was given in

the Mid-term Workshop on CAS – AF Cooperative Projects in Peking, China (24

October) and at a local Riihimäki-Hausjärvi Rotary Club (18 November 2013).

We have submitted two abstracts about the project to be presented in the

European Geosciences Union General Assembly on 27 April – 2 May 2014 and

the 13th

International Conference on Urban Drainage 2014 on 7 – 12 September

2014. LIFE+ notice board (Annex 7.2) has been drafted and will be printed after

all partners have given their comments on that.

5.1.5. Action E

Project coordinator was hired on 7 October 2013. We requested stakeholders to

nominate representatives in steering and advisory board on 18 October 2013 and

received the last nomination on 1 November 2013. The first SAB meeting was

organized on 12 December 2013 and it was held at Finnish Environment

Institute.

5.2. Availability of appropriate licences and authorisations

We will apply water permit for the demonstrations to be conducted in Keuruu and

Petäjävesi, but do not probably need one in Paroinen/Hämeenlinna, which will be

checked from AVI of Southern Finland.


5.3. Envisaged progress until next report.

A1: Flow measurements and wastewater discharge flow simulations will be

conducted as well as the most representative monitoring points determined in the

selected demonstration sites.

A2: Water permit application will be send before the end of February 2014 (M 1.2).

B1: The extended perforated sewage outlet system will be constructed at Keuruu

following the construction plan. A scuba diver will install the filtration system in June

2014 if we get the water permit for the action.

B2: We will start to make a description and first analysis of observed water quality

data by using SYKE’s long time series (M 3.1 Description of monitoring data due to

30 June 2014). We will start to write description of the models and their combination

(M 3.3 Description of the models due to 30 June 2014)

C1: Monitoring of ecosystem effects will be conducted bimonthly in March, May,

July, September and November in both Keuruu and Petäjävesi.

C2: Monitoring in Lake Vanajavesi will start in spring – early summer 2014

D1: LIFE+ notice boards will be printed and set on display at all partners’ premises to

be visible to the public. Project www-pages will be improved and updated regularly.

E1: The second SAB meeting will be organized in 14 May 2014.

We propose new deadlines for Midterm (31 January 2015 → 31 March 2015) and

Progress reports (31 January 2016 → 31 March 2016) due to too long delay (i.e. 20

months) between the originally proposed deadlines of the last two reports. The new

reporting dates allow us to give financial reports over the full year, i.e. until 31

December. It would also ease the rush of our financial secretaries who are in the

middle of other financial statements in January.


Table 1. Gantt chart illustrating the proposed and actual progress of the planned actions.

Tasks/

Activities

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

1T 2T 3T 4T 1T 2T 3T 4T 1T 2T 3T 4T 1T 2T 3T 4T 1T 2T 3T 4T

Overall project schedule

Proposed

O

O

X

O

Actual

Action A1 Proposed

Actual

Action B1

Action B2

Proposed

Actual

Action B3

Action C1

Proposed

Actual

Action C2

Action C3

Action D Proposed

Actual

Action E Proposed

Actual

Start date Mid-Term End date

X=Progress reports


6. Financial part

6.1. Putting in place of the accounting system.

All partners use their institutional accounting systems following the general

guidelines of public administration. Funding and costs are directed to the project by

individual project codes. We have prepared and delivered instructions to all partners

regarding to the documentation needed, reporting the costs and registering the

working hours. Partners are asked to report costs every second month or whenever

needed or asked, which has also been written in partnership agreement. All partners

have electronic time registration systems

6.2. Continued availability of co financing.

All co-financiers in the proposal are still involved in the project. We have agreed with

all co-financiers of the amounts and schedules how to invoice their contributions to

the project. We have plans to apply additional external funding for rather expensive

but crucial analyses in Action C1&2 due to the shortage in our budget.

6.3. Costs incurred (summary by cost category and relevant comments).

The following table shows incurred costs until the end of November 2013 although the

technical reporting includes additionally what have been done until the late January

2014. This is because quite a lot has happened after November but we were able to

compile incurred costs completely only until the end of November. At this point we do

not expect any budget modification assuming that we will be successful in receiving

additional external funding to cover the most expensive analyse costs. We expect the

spending rate to speed up early in 2014 when also SYKE and MTT really start to

implement their actions, and to reach the threshold for second pre-financing by the

time of the mid-term reporting, i.e. early 2015.

Fill in the following table concerning the incurred project costs:

Budget breakdown categories Total cost in € Costs incurred from the start

date to 31.11.2013 in €

% of total costs

1. Personnel 1,053,941 31,733.65 3.0

2. Travel and subsistence 25,000 562.77 2.3

3. External assistance 21,000 0

4. Durable goods

Infrastructure 0 0

Equipment 0 0

Prototype 25,000 0

5. Land purchase / long-term lease N/A

6. Consumables 20,101 0

7. Other Costs 0 0

8. Overheads 43,218 0

TOTAL 1,188,260 32,296.42 2.7


Please fill in also the following additional table (recommended). When compiling the

information please refer to Form B of the proposal:

Action number and name Foreseen costs

Spent so far Remaining Projected final cost

Action A1 66,345 5194.26 61,150.74 66,345

Action B1 113,752 3332.71 110,419.29 113,752

Action B2 184,083 1835.74 182,247.26 184,083

Action B3 146,400 0 146,400 146,400

Action C1 124,326 3598.21 120,727.79 124,326

Action C2 46,014 0 46,014 46,014

Action C3 180,665 0 180,665 180,665

Action D1 67,205 2274.9 64,930.1 67,205

Action D2 225 0 225 225

Action E1 216,027 16,060.6 199,966.4 216,027

Overheads 43,218 0 43,218 43,218

TOTAL 1,188,260 32,296.42 1,155,963.58 1,188,260

7. Annexes

7.1. Partnership agreements

Partnership_agreement.pdf

7.2. Deliverables (see table below)

D 8.1 www-pages: http://www.helsinki.fi/lammi/NSINK/suomi.html

D 8.2.1 Life+ notice board, starting seminar

D 1.2.1 http://www.helsinki.fi/lammi/NSINK/tutkimusalueet.html

7.3. Output indicators. Definition.

indicators_tables2007.xls


Updated table of the project deliverables. Some deliverables mentioned in the “Details of

proposed actions” were missing in the table on page 70 of the proposal. Also some

deliverables in the proposal were missing deadlines, which are now added in the updated

table. Deliverable 1.2 were split in two due to inconsistency between the content and the

schedule explained in section 5.1.1 as well as D 8.2 because it included Leyman’s report,

Life+ notice boards and Starting seminar, the first to be produced at the end of the project

whereas the other two in the beginning. Deliverable Deadline Date completed Action Description

8.1 30/9/2013 20/9/2013 D1 www-pages

1.1 28/2/2014 A1 Environmental permit application drafted

1.2.1 31/1/2014 31/1/2014 A1 Selection of the study sites

1.2.2 31/12/2014 A1 Report: description of the flow directions and

monitoring points of these sites

8.2.1 31/1/2104 31/1/2014 /

1/11/2013

D1 Life+ notice boards / Starting seminar 1

8.2.2 31/7/2017 D1 Layman's report

7.1 30/4/2014 C3 Conceptual model of linking economical and

ecological approach

3.1 30/6/2014 B2 Report 1. Metadata description of available

water chemistry and biology data from the

target areas = Final documentation of

monitoring data

3.2 30/6/2014 B2 Report 2. Demonstration of the effects of

water protection on water quality in two

heavily loaded river basins in southern

Finland, Lake Vanajanselkä and River

Porvoonjoki.

3.3 30/6/2014 B2 Description of the catchment models/Report

3. Workshop: Description of the model

applications

7.2 30/11/2014 C3 First model results, up-scaling and scenario

2.1 28/2/2015 B1 Progress report

3.4 31/5/2016 B2 Final results of model demonstrations

(Implementation for N-removal scenarios for

Finnish river basins)

7.3 31/5/2016 C3 Final results

7.4 31/12/2016 C3 Final report

5.2 31/1/2017 C1 2 Congress presentations

6.2 31/1/2017 C2 Congress presentations

2.2 28/2/2017 B1 Final report of new alternative method

4.3 30/4/2017 B3 Report 5 Final results

5.3 30/6/2017 C1 Report 2

6.3 30/6/2017 C2 Report 2

5.4 31/7/2017 C1 2 Publications in journals submitted

6.4 31/7/2017 C2 Publications in journals submitted

4.1 30/11/2016 B3 Report 2

4.2 30/4/1017 B3 Report 3

5.1 30/6/2017 C1 Report

8.3 31/5/2017 D1 Final seminar

8.4 31/7/2017 D2 An after Life+ communication plan will be

produced and published in the internet page

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