Unique projects motar drought in the southern Gotland

the southern tip of Gotland, lit illande red on the map showing availability of groundwater. According to the legend means red ”the worst grundvattentillgång”.

In recent years the problem has become more acute. More and more want to have access to water at the same time as climate change makes itself felt: less snow, heavy, short rain and longer growing season that allows the evaporation increases, and that the time to form new groundwater shortened.

for properties that connect to the municipal water network, in practice it is virtually synonymous with byggstopp. Water scarcity is a concrete obstacle to development in the area.

– We must have the opportunity to develop activities. Now, it is not possible to expand, the problem must be solved, " says Håkan Ahlsten, one of the owners of the guest house Grey goose.

over a year Ago is underway here for a unique project to try to take advantage of and also recycle the water resources in the area. It is led by IVL, the Swedish environmental research institute.

Now import the Storsudret water from the rest of Gotland. We have said that we should make the region self-sufficient and I think that we can, " says Staffan Filipsson, project manager from IVL Swedish environmental research institute.

”It is only 2 per cent of the rainfall that we need to get to remain in the country,” says Staffan Filipsson. Photo: Karl Melander

check and magasinera rainwater, so that it can penetrate down to the groundwater and recover the waste water hope project to Storsudret can get so plenty of water is that it would be exported to the north on the island of Gotland.

"Actually, we have an abundance of water, the precipitation is more than we need but currently runs most of the time out in the Baltic sea," says Jan Larsson, one of those who has long been engaged in the water issues in several ways.

On the island's southern tip, it will, according to the project calculations, so much precipitation, that, after evaporation, there are 20 million cubic metres of water available per year. Årsbehovet in the field of animals and humans is estimated to be a fraction, 0.4 million cubic metres.

– thus, It is only 2 per cent of the rainfall that we need to get to remain in the country, says Staffan Filipsson.

In this day and draining the water into the sea via the channels were dug in connection with the utdikningen in the early 1900s. Then wanted to access the wetlands, which could provide good yields, as it on their bottoms there was plenty of nitrogen and other nutrients that made it grew well.

a kind of minidammar with the automatic doors in the large ditches that cut through the ground, water shall be prevented from flowing to the Baltic sea. To find the right checkpoints, the job goes right now to identify which paths the water travels in nature. A weather station that has a close eye on, inter alia, precipitation has been installed, in addition there are twelve different control stations located where flows and groundwater levels recorded in real time.

Staffan Filipsson inspects a so-called ”assault”. It slows the water in the big ditch and here is equipment that in real time measures how large the flow is. Photo: Karl Melander

– When it rains, we can see how much is added via the metering in the trenches to see how much of this flows into the sea, and through the level indicator how much will down into the groundwater, " says Staffan Filipsson.

" the Idea is that we are to do this without destroying arable land, therefore, we have the it solutions that control the water balance. We see that it starts to rain vehemently shall the hatches be opened automatically so it doesn't flood.

, but a crucial element is the cooperation with the local community. The accommodation has great knowledge about the area. They know how the water situation has been historically, and what the needs are for farming, which along with tourism are the major industries.

– the Interaction between the academy and the people with practical knowledge and actions is essential for this to work here, " says Jan Larsson.

He and the others involved have long tried to highlight vattenproblematiken vis-à-vis those in power is:

"When we go to securely link their arms with the college, we get greater credibility against the municipality," says Håkan Ahlsten.

" I usually say; coffee, bun, community – so get with it people. To get acceptance, you can move mountains.

with the coffee and cakes are included in the project. Perhaps, the interest is extra large now, when groundwater levels are low and the initial position in preparation for the upcoming summer significantly worse than last year. At the meeting in the end of april came more than a hundred people who listened and asked questions.

”the Future is to store water in dams,” says Lasse Svensson. Photo: Karl Melander

Lasse Svensson, who raise calves and grow both pasture and grain in twenty-five years had a large pond on his farm to water the crops.

" the Future is to store water in ponds. Just the past year, at least 10 farmers on the island of Gotland built ponds.

, a few ladusvalor sweeps over the surface in elegant arcs and thoughts skillfully in their drinking water in flight. The ground glows in the purple of the flowering rödplister, its frösättning benefited from last summer's drought, they are a reminder of the rekordsommaren which gave a taste of what may become more common in a changing climate.

" We already see that the growing season has become longer. In the future, we need farmers to have better dikningssystem and ponds, but it takes up acreage, " says Lasse Svensson.

water Scarcity Storsudret is not general, in some places, are abundant with water and filled vattenhåll, bröiu. Jan Larsson's farm near the Vamlingbo church has been in the family for generations, where there is a natural pond with water that are constantly flowing to and from.

– there was plenty of water last year when there was so great drought, " says Jan Larsson.

Jan Larsson is one of those who has long been engaged in the water issues in several ways. Photo: Karl Melander

flows eastwards in a ditch. A few hundred metres away has a ”assault” has been built, it is an obstacle which stops part of the water so that the flow can be recorded by an on-line meter.

– the Meters deliver the data so that we can follow the levels in real time, minute by minute, " says Shadi El Habash from Region Gotland.

the Region contribute with sek 15 million for the investments needed. In addition to having an eye on the measuring device is measured and mapped levels in wells of the individuals who have given their permission.

"I can already see parts of the project that can be used on the rest of Gotland," says Mikael Tiouls, the region's water and wastewater developer.

he often questions about how they work with water scarcity when he is at various seminars around the country.

– the island of Gotland is situated in the front line, we have such small quantities to be so we have a long history with being on the water.

recycling wastewater is also included in the plans. Down at the been in Burgsvik is located the waste water treatment plant. It was small exercise and the first with a new technology for cleaning when it was built in 1972. Now it has soon wear out, a new large wastewater treatment plant in Klintehamn, just over four miles to the north, to take over. The old plant gets a new life as a research facility to try out different techniques to take advantage of the waste water.

around 80 per cent of the wastewater that is treated here is, in fact, rain water will be here. We would like to separate out the rainwater before it is pumped away from the Storsudret where it's needed, " says Staffan Filipsson.

– It is possible to clean the wastewater so effectively that it becomes as clean as drinking water.

Gotlands other avsaltningsverk to start up in Kvarnåkershamn a bit to the north, and when will the accommodation at the Storsudret to be able to take part of the water. But the process requires high pressure in the purification step, and it consumes a lot of energy.

– Now with climate change, it feels wrong to use large amounts of energy to clean water, globally speaking, it can increase pollution and add to climate change. We want to develop a water system that is sustainable and does not take too much energy, " says Staffan Filipsson.

He is joined by the locally engaged.

– It should be more clever to take advantage of the rainfall, and prevent the flow into the sea instead of letting it drain out into the sea, take back the water and desalinate. To take advantage of is both more talented and cheaper, " says Håkan Ahlsten.

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