Background The Karjaanjoki River basin (2050 km²) consists of numerous lakes, rivers and brooks of various types and sizes, which cover 12% of the river basin area in total. The river basin is characterised by the large Lakes Lohjanjärvi (92 km²) and Hiidenvesi (29 km²). In addition, the numerous small lakes and clear-watered rivers form a beautiful mosaic in the headwater region. River Mustionjoki transports water from the river basin to the Pojo Bay area of the Gulf of Finland through an old cultivated landscape. Geographically and geologically the Karjaanjoki catchment area varies a lot. The water system includes several lakes, some of them nutrient-poor, some of them eutrophic and some of them clear. The upstream parts of the catchment are largely covered with forest while the downstream part is dominated by agricultural areas. The watercourse accommodates rare birds, freshwater mussels and has a natural stock of trout. The watercourse is currently facing several problems: a power station in the downstream area and several minor man-made structures affect the flora and fauna and contribute to sedimentation; active forestry and logging as well as agriculture disturb the ecosystem; scattered housing without sewage treatment facilities also contribute to the low water quality. Objectives The "INNOWA" project aimed at working towards the sustainable use of the Karjaanjoki river basin. The goal was a good ecological status of the surface waters, which includes rich aquatic biodiversity and good water quality. To achieve this a network of concerned actors was to be established and a large variety of tools were to be deployed. The project consisted of seven subprojects which were closely connected to each other: - Ecological restoration of running waters, to restore the river basin continuum. - Improving the functional value of lake Lohjanjärvi. - Master plan for Mustionjokilaakso. - Water pollution control methods in agriculture, in order to improve the use of fertilizers and to develop a self-monitoring procedure for farmers for environmental management. - Water pollution control methods in forestry. - Planning of sustainable recreational use of the Karjaanjoki river basin. - Development river basin monitoring systems, to correspond with the requirements set out in the EU Water Framework Directive. Results Overall, the project has achieved its objectives by creating an integrated network of actors to work together towards the restoration and improvement of the good ecological status of the Karjaanjoki river basin. Although improvements in the ecological status of the surface waters should be judged over a longer time frame, positive tendencies were noted at the close of the project. The beneficiary and partners compiled a large number of data and information covering all seven technical tasks (see description of these under project objectives). Network The project was innovative and successful in bringing together a large number of stakeholders (or their representatives) who have an impact and role in the lake watercourse and lake management to a greater or larger extent. The project had 27 partners, five co-financers and also involved a much larger number of NGOs and interested individuals. Implementation of the WFD The project is relevant with regard to the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Finnish national context, and the Habitats directive, albeit to a lesser extent. The seventh task concerned the development of the river basin monitoring systems. The results were as follows: 1) Water pollution and the state of surface waters were monitored and the current monitoring methods were evaluated in terms of ecological status of surface waters. Current biological data was gathered together, e.g. fish data. 2) Examples of typology and classification of surface waters were done according to the requirements by the WFD (e.g. based on biological data) - information was produced for the application of the WDF at national level - the possibilities for bringing the surface water monitoring requirements of the WFD and Habitat Directives together were investigated. 3) Information availability and problems were assessed and suggestions for improvements were made, for example an environmental web database of the environmental administration was developed further (Hertta database). 4) A plan for surface water monitoring, cooperation and reporting of results was drawn up. Involvement of voluntary groups in the water quality monitoring The second task of the project "Improving the functional value of Lake Lohjanjärvi" involved volunteer monitoring and the activation of locals. Over 80 volunteers took part in monitoring and over 2500 measurements were recorded by the volunteers. Some of the results were as follows: - Four waste water surveys were carried out in the Lake Lohjanjärvi area for applying the waste water management act for scattered settlement. An effective method based on questionnaires and field work was developed. - A novel monitoring method based on remote sensing was trialed, though it proved not to be as useful as hoped. Secchi transparency measurement results from volunteer and official monitoring were compared with satellite images taken from the lake. Dissemination The project received good publicity nationally, however the dissemination aspects of the project were very much limited to the national (Finnish issues) and dissemination beyond the Finnish borders was fragmentary. It was based on the efforts of partners who presented specialist expertise in water management. The results and recommendations of the project were very much related with the local and regional context. However, at a larger scale, the project could serve as a good example of a multi-purpose water management exercise. The substance of the project was to be carried forward and the beneficiary as well as most of the partners were to continue their cooperation in the management of the catchment and in the forthcoming Water Framework Directive implementation. The final seminar of the project, a major dissemination event took place on 10 March 2005 and served its purpose well by gathering a large group of stakeholders and other interested parties. The project has a good and extensive website at www.karjaanjokilife.fi, which is available in three languages – Finnish, Swedish and English. The beneficiary was willing to maintain the website for two years after completion of the project by updating it with relevant information and developments regarding the watercourse. The Finnish/Swedish 230 page book “Karjaanjoki Watercourse. Long Live the Water”(Karjaanjoen vesistö Eläköön vesi!/Svartåns vattendrag Leve vattnet), with a twelve page English summary, is a good presentation of the project addressed to professionals and people have some understanding of water ecology and WFD objective.