Contact us
Opening hours Mon - Fri 8:00 - 15:30 (summer 8:00 - 15:00)
Street address: Suokatu 42
Mail address: P.O. Box 1097, 70111 KUOPIO
Telephone: +358 17 185 111
Telefax: +358 17 185 356
email: asiakaspalvelu(at)kuopionvesi.fi
Administration
Managing director Kirsi Laamanen,
tel. +358 17 185 351 or +358 44 718 5351
Customer service
Water supply engineer Annika Rautanen
tel. +358 44 718 5353
Planning
Planning manager Marja Stjerna
tel. +358 17 185 320 or 044 718 5320
Drinking water production
Production manager Markku Lehtola,
tel. +358 17 185 361 or +358 44 718 5361
Development engineer Petri Juntunen,
tel. + 358 44 718 5325
Distribution system
Distribution system manager Kari Kuosmanen,
tel. +358 44 718 5315
Technician Petri Tähtivaara,
tel. +358 44 718 5698
Waste water treatment
Production manager Jarmo Hiltunen,
tel. +358 17 185 381 or +358 44 718 5381
Kuopion Vesi
Kuopion Vesi water works is owned by the city of Kuopio. The turnover of the company is
approximately 19 million euros, and there are 82 people working for the company. Kuopio Water
has a quality management system according to the standard ISO 9000. This assures good living
and business conditions and environment in Kuopio. Environmental issues and sustainable
development are important in planning the company's strategy and activities.
The main strategy of Kuopion Vesi is to produce good quality drinking water and treating the
waste water properly. Furthermore the aim is to provide good conditions for the city of Kuopio
to grow and develop with a good and functional water treatment system. The quality of the
drinking water is excellent in Kuopio.
Kuopio Vesi offers its services in the urban areas, and in Melalahti, Kurkimäki, Nilsiä, Karttula
and Vehmersalmi, which are smaller villages in the district of Kuopio. The total amount of
inhabitants in Kuopio is approximately 105 000 of which around 95 % are among the communal
water services. There are 10 water sources and water treatment plants, six waste water
treatment plants, and almost 1500 km-long distribution network including pipelines for drinking
water, waste water, and storm drainage.
Drinking water
Total consumption of drinking water in Kuopio city area is approximately 17 500 m3/day. There
are two main water treatment plants in Kuopio. Water is taken from Jänneniemi and Hietasalo.
Water supplied from Hietasalo is approximately 6000 m3/day, rest of the water is supplied from
Jänneniemi. In both water treatment plants lake water is first bank filtrated. Total retention
time in of water during filtration is on average five months and in Hietasalo on average two
weeks. Both Hietasalo and Jänneniemi alone can produce water for whole city, if necessary.
Chemical water purification process in Itkonniemi water works can also use lake water from
Kallavesi as a raw water source.
In Jänneniemi water treatment plant iron and manganese are removed with biological rapid sand
filtration. Water produced in Hietasalo is purified in Itkonniemi water treatment plant with
chemical coagulation. Waters produced in Itkonniemi and Jänneniemi are mixed in Itkonniemi
water treatment plant and is disinfected by chlorination.
Kuopion Vesi also produces water for Melalahti, Kurkimäki, Nilsiä, Karttula and Vehmersalmi
villages. In these areas raw water is ground water. In Melalahti, Karttula, Nilsiä and Vehmersalmi
water is purified by alkalization and UV-disinfection. In Kurkimäki iron and manganese are
removed with slow sand filtration and water is disinfected with UV-disinfection.
Drinking water quality in Kuopio area is good and it fulfills the chemical and microbiological
requirements set in drinking water directive (Ministry of social affairs and health 461/2000).
Distribution system
In the distribution system, there are 700 km water pipes, 530 km sewer, and 275 km storm
drain. Every year approximately 10 to 15 km of new pipe lines are built. At the moment, the
main focus is on the construction of the Saaristokaupunki "The Town of Islands", which is a new
neighbourhood under construction in the city of Kuopio. In addition, the special attention to the
renewing of the oldest pipe lines has been paid. This attention has resulted in a decreasing
amount of pipe leakage in past few years.
The distribution networks in the city of Kuopio consists of 9 pressurized areas with 13 booster
stations and six elevated storage tanks with a total capacity of 18.000 m3.
The sewer system is working as a separate system from the rainfall outlets in all the urban
areas. Inside the city of Kuopio, there are 67 pumping stations for waste waters, and the main
pumping stations are located in Väinölänniemi and Haapaniemi.
Waste waters
The waste waters of the urban area are treated in the Lehtoniemi activated sludge plant. The
sand and other solid wastes are separated mechanically in the process. Organic matter and
nitrogen are removed in biological process and phosphorus in chemical process. The treated
waters are drained to the lake Kallavesi.
In the rural area, local biorotor plants of Melalahti, Vehmersalmi and Kurkimäki waste waters go
through a biological-chemical process. The performance of the biorotors is improved with
presedimentation, and the phosphorus removal is made chemically. Local plants of Karttula and
Nilsiä are operating principles of activated sludge plants. All the treatment plants are
monitored, controlled, and maintained by a remote system from the Lehtoniemi waste water
treatment plant.
All the treatment plants produce treated waste waters which fulfills requirements of the
legislation.