Water on campus

Water scarcity has become a burning issue as the Earth’s temperature keeps on rising. The world’s arid areas are witnessing lakes drying – with farming and drinking water hanging in the balance. Besides longer periods of hot and dry weather, the climate change brings disastrous torrential rain and stormwater runoffs spreading nutrients and harmful substances into nature. Therefore, there’s a high demand for water research and education, which are at the heart of LUT University’s strategy.

LUT conducts research and education on clean water and separation technology in its units in Lappeenranta and Mikkeli.

At LUT, we’re lucky to be located in Finland, the land of 168,000 lakes (according to the National Land Survey of Finland). Water availability and infrastructure are at a high level: for example, tap water is drinkable everywhere, and bottled water is basically unnecessary. Freshwater resources are abundant in lakes, rivers and ground water, thanks to rainy autumns and snowy winters.

Water scarcity is currently not an issue in Finland, but climate change may, in the long run, prolong dry periods in summer and reduce soil humidity. Thus, the responsible and economical choice is to avoid overconsumption – after all, we do pay for all the water we use.

Stormwater treatment systems are currently being developed by many Finnish cities, including our campus cities Lappeenranta and Lahti, and LUT’s experts are often involved.

LUT cooperates with municipal waterworks

In Finland, the water mains and wastewater treatment are both usually managed by municipal enterprises. This is the case also in LUT’s campus cities. Therefore, the university and other property owners in cities in general don’t need to process water on-site; it would be useless and uneconomical within the existing and well-functioning infrastructure. 

However, LUT gives advice and cooperates with municipalities in many cases. For example, an entirely new pump solution created by LUT's professors was introduced in Lappeenranta at a pumping station to improve the water quality of the Lake Saimaa. The pump is four times more efficient than other commercial pumps, and the pumping is powered by wind.

Stormwater treatment systems are also currently being developed by many Finnish cities, including our campus cities Lappeenranta and Lahti, and LUT’s experts are involved.

Drinkable tap water is freely available on campus

Drinkable, high-quality tap water is freely available to everyone on LUT’s campuses. Drinking tap water leads to higher water consumption, but it’s highly recommended, as it eliminates the need for bottled water, saving a great deal of resources and minimizing emissions and waste.

Drinkable, high-quality tap water is freely available to everyone on LUT’s campuses.

Monitoring use and saving water

LUT measures campus water consumption and reports on it annually in its sustainability report (p. 22). Water is saved on the campuses with, for example, dual flush valves in toilets and efficient dishwashing at campus restaurants. Outdoor areas don’t need irrigation. The laboratories apply safety guidelines to prevent harmful substances from ending up in the sewage system – an issue that’s also emphasized in education.

In other words, clean water and sanitation are no problems on LUT campuses locally, but the UN’s related Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) is nonetheless at the heart of LUT’s scientific, educational and public agenda. LUT conducts research and education on clean water and separation technology in its units in Lappeenranta and Mikkeli.