ACWA LIFE Project
The aim of the project is to improve the state of Finland’s waters by developing catchment-based planning and related practical measures during 2026–2033.
The ACWA LIFE (Actions for Waters from Source to Sea) project is unique in that it takes a comprehensive approach to the state of water bodies, looking at the entire continuum from catchment areas, agricultural land and forests all the way to the Baltic Sea. The project will develop catchment-based planning, implement concrete water protection measures, and generate entirely new information on nutrient and other pollutant loads entering water bodies and ways of reducing them.
Traficom’s role in the project
Traficom’s role in the project is to assess the waterborne pollution caused by maritime transport. The work will generate new information on the quantities and composition of sewage, grey water and food waste generated by ships, as well as their environmental impacts.
The aim is to improve the knowledge base for assessing pollution originating from ships and to support the development of national measures for water and marine management. The project will also investigate ways of reducing the environmental impact of maritime transport and promoting good practices.
The main objective is to examine pollution from maritime transport as part of the broader source-to-sea continuum. This will provide a more comprehensive picture of pollution from different sources and help identify the most effective measures for improving the state of waters.
Project objectives
The ACWA LIFE project aims to:
- develop and establish catchment-based water management planning;
- reduce pollution loads entering water bodies through concrete measures;
- develop methods and tools to support water management planning;
- generate new information on factors affecting the state of waters and on sources of pollution;
- promote cooperation between different stakeholders; and
- disseminate proven approaches and good practices more widely across Finland.
Project period
1 January 2026–31 December 2033
Project funding
The total budget of the ACWA LIFE project is nearly EUR 28 million. Funding from the European Union’s LIFE Programme accounts for 60% of the total, amounting to EUR 16.6 million.
Project partners
In addition to Traficom, the project involves 14 partners: the South Ostrobothnia, Uusimaa, Eastern Finland, Southwest Finland, North Ostrobothnia and Lapland Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres); the Finnish Supervisory Agency; the Ministry of the Environment; the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke); the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke); the Finnish Forest Centre; the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK); the John Nurminen Foundation; Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association; the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation; WWF Finland; the Water and Air Protection Association for Eastern Uusimaa and the Porvoonjoki River; and the Finnish Museum of Natural History.
The project is coordinated by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for South Ostrobothnia.
Further information
Milla Harju, Senior Specialist
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom
milla.harju@traficom.fi
