Tartu Downstream WAVE Living Lab 2021
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| Area | Emajogi river | |
| Place | Tartu | |
| Country | Estonia | |
| Topics | please enter the main topics of your living lab | |
| Author(s) | Please enter your name(s)- optional | |
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Rationale
- Why do you think this case is relevant? What is your hypothesis considering the landscape challenges?
- Format: 3-4 sentences
Location and scope
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Water as a natural system
Geomorphology, typologies and dynamics of water areas
Emajõgi, or the “mother river”, is the second largest river in Estonia. It is a fully navigable river, approximately 100km long that connects Lake Võrtsjärv to Lake Peipus. It is a relatively flat landscape, as from source to river mouth there is only an elevation difference of approximately 3,5m. The Emajõgi’s catchment area is around 9740km2 and represents approximately 60% of Lake Peipus’ total catchment area and 22% of Estonia’s territory. The Emajõgi has 12 tributaries: Pedja, Laeva, Amme, Koosa, Kavilda, Elva, Ilmatsalu, Porijõgi, Mudajõgi, Luutsna, Ahja and Agali.
The Emajõgi was the birthplace of Estonia’s second biggest city Tartu, first mentioned in written text in 1030. Tartu opened its first hydrometry station named “Tartu (Kvissentali)” in 1867, not an hazardous date, indeed it was also the date of the most important flooding event of Emajogi!
Generally, water in the Emajõgi river fluctuates up to 250 cm and flows rather slowly around 57,9m3/s.
After long winters, snow melts and generates a vast amount of water. This periodic phenomenon can produce floods. It happened quite a lot of time that water rises was approximately around 300 cm (1899,1923,1999,2005,2008, 2009) and caused temporary problems. In 1867, 2010 and 2011 rising waters were 373 (most extreme one’s), 330 and 315 cm. In our case: an urban context flooding period has direct consequences on urban planning surrounding Emajõgi’s dock.
The last important flood event was in 2010, some streets were closed and traffic has been restricted: "The pumping of water, the closure of ditches and other measures taken to prevent flooding have helped to stabilize the situation. Yesterday, the men of the rescue center and the Defense League closed a drainage ditch with a hundred sandbags in Tähtvere Sports Park in order to prevent the increase of the flood area in Supilinn," said Rein Haak, Head of the Urban Economy Department.
In some natural part of the river, flooding constituted a part of the landscape: meadows, bog. However, with climate change, urban sprawl and water management due to the city plan, flooding will increase and at some point constitute a risk for people who are currently living near to the river. To anticipate it, Estonian Government produces assessments and maps showing different futuristics scenarios of flooding (10,50, 100,1000 years).
Besides the Emajõgi, this Living Lab’s study area includes two other significant water bodies, Anne Kanal (9,5ha) and Väike-Anne Kanal (5,5ha). They are both located on the left bank of the Emajõgi in Annelinn, a predominantly Russian neighborhood in Tartu. These canals were excavated during the construction of Annelinn from 1965 to 1971 and intended to be one full lenght rowing canal. The construction of the Sõpruse bridge in 1977, over the original canal, and the need to fill its foundation with soil due to engineering constraints, eventually separated the canal into the two canals we know today.
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Emajõgi and its tributaries.
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The 2010 flooding in the study area. Source: kerly.blogspot
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Water as a living space
- Which habitats can be found in and along the water areas of your area?
Mostly the Habitats are fishes, birds, insects, flowers etc, that are found near our Study area, Mostly species are protected.
- How is the water quality in your water areas?
Tartu city drinking water is providing mostly by ground water sources and regarding to that, there are 111 bore wells most of which are divided between those ten water intakes located in Tartu [1]. From those the most important are Meltsikivi, Anne and Ropka water intakes. in addition to the bore wells of the public water supply of Tartu city, there are estimated to be over one hundred bore wells located on private registered immovables in the administrative territory of the city. Water in the uppermost part of the Quaternary aquifer is about half of the water consumed as drinking water in Tartu, and there is generally no need to further process it. Water in the Quaternary aquifer belongs to the first quality class. However, groundwater from deeper aquifers needs to be purified before use as drinking water due to the naturally higher content of some substances. Water in aquifers of Middle Devonian and Early-Middle Devonian-Silurian belong in the second quality class due to their high iron content and bore wells water of Ordovician-Cambrian in the third quality class due to their chloride content. All water of Anne water intake is led through the Anne water treatment plant and the water of Ropka water intake through the Sepa water treatment plant. There, the water from the Middle Devonian and Early-Middle Devonian-Silurian aquifers is purified of excess iron by aerating the raw water. Groundwater from the Ordovician-Cambrian aquifer, which is rich in chlorides, is not pumped directly into the water supply network but mixed with the Middle Devonian and Early-Middle Devonian-Silurian water [2].
Along downstream area from Riia old bridge to Sopruse pst bridge there are four ground water sources. They are quintenary well bores which three of them are Silurian-Ordovician (no need of purifying) and an Ordovician-Cambrian well bores which is rich in Chlorides (needs to be processed). On the other hand, The Bathing water Quality of the EmaJogi is Excellent but the quality of Anna Canal is Sufficient for bathing. Overall the water quality of Emajogi is good, near the bank of EmaJogi and Anna Canal there are drinking water bore wells that show the quality of water was excellent for drinking purposes
- Which areas are still natural, which are urbanized/artificial?
Generally, west side of Emajogi river from old bridge up to Sobra is urbanized/industrial and east part of it From Anne Canal until studying border is natural. Although, east part has constructed drainage fields and Anne Canal as artificial lake, still these areas are natural except minor changes as they mentioned. Significant urbanized/industrial areas are Old factory on west part and Anne Canal (constructed during soviet period for Olympic games) on the east part. Adding to that, on the upper part (from Kaarslid bridge) to south direction, there are more modern looking and urbanized constructions on west part rather than east part which is mostly green infrastructure.
- Are the rivers permeable for fish or blocked by artificial elements?(approx 200 signs)
As there is no barrage, Dam or any other structure, so that’s why fishes can easily pass and the river is permeable for fish
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Blue and Green Infrastructure
- What are the major potential elements of a green/blue infrastructure network? Are these likely to change/disappear? Why is that?
- You find my background material on green infrastructure in our reading list
- add 1-2 graphical representations to the image gallery, you can add more if you like
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Water as a cultural space
Land use and water
- map the land uses along your water areas: settlements, infrastructure, agriculture, resource extraction, natural areas, energy production...
- describe in particular the historical evolution of land use pattern, please make use of historical maps
- description evolution, status quo and driving forces, is the land use likely to change? Why is that? (approx 200 signs)
- add 1-2 graphical representations to the image gallery, you can add more if you like
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Cultural and spatial typologies of water areas
- Which spatial patterns have evolved in relation to your water areas?
- What is the role of water areas within the overall urban morphology? (approx 200 signs)
- add 1-2 graphical representations to the image gallery, you can add more if you like
- Yourcase water space1.jpg
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Sacred spaces and heritage
- Which places/elements hold cultural value and to whom?
- You may add a map and some images, please also explain in your caption why these elements are valuable
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Visual appearance and landscape narrative
- Which elements are essential for the landscape character?
- Has the landscape been painted or otherwise depicted, when and whom? Which elements are essential?
- Which narratives exist? Who has written about this landscape or depicted it in some way?
- You can add text and images
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Water and People
Accessibility and usability
- Where are your water areas accessible, and where not? How strong are spatial obstacles preventing access?
- Who is using the spaces and how?
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Community Mapping
What is to be mapped here?
- Social groups from within the community, for example the youth, kids, students, parents, the retired etc. Typically, these groups have specific needs, which you can also make explicit on the map. These people might not be organized in any way, but they are usually present in the context you are observing
- Local stakeholder groups: these groups are organized in one or the other way. They only exist within the community context you are observing. For example: the local community center, local churches, local interest groups, the landowners, small businesses and retailers
- External stakeholder groups are not necessarily present in the environment you are observing, but they may have strong stakes and interests. These can be local authorities, politicians, associations, care services etc.
- For each group, you may identify their needs, objectives, power and capacities
- You may also identify gaps and power conflicts
- Please try to redepict these elements in an integrated way and in relation to your water landscape. What is the relationship between these groups? Are they close or distanced from each other? Who is more powerful? Which voices are hardly heard? Do they have any shared concerns?
- Your case your community map1.jpg
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Possible Futures
- You can summarize your findings with a SWOT diagram and a DPSI(R) Model
- Link back to the Sustainable Development Goals: Which goals are at risk?
- What is your worst case scenario for this landscape?
- What is your best case scenario for this landscape?
- Present your scenarios in the form of a collage or sketch
- Add text and visuals
- Your case your spider diagram or dpsir model.jpg
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- Your case yourworstcase visual.jpg
explain your worst case scenario briefly in the caption
- Your case yourbestcase visual.jpg
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Collaborative Goal Setting
- Define strategic planning objectives based on the evaluation findings from your analysis
- Ideally, involve the community of your living labs into this process
- Link back to your original targets from section one and the Development Goals
- 150 words text contribution
Spatial Strategy and Transect
- translate your strategic goals into a vision
- develop a spatial translation of your vision
- exemplify your vision in the form of a transect with concrete interventions
- add map(s) and visualizations
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- Your case transect.jpg
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From Theory of Change to Implementation
- For implementing your vision: Which partnerships are needed? Which governance model is required?
- Who needs to act and how? Draw and explain a change/process model/timeline
- Which resources are needed? On which assets can you build?
- add 150 words text and visuals
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References
- give a full list of the references you have used for your case
Process Reflection
- Reflect in your intercultural and interdisciplinary team on the outcomes of your study
- Which limitations were you facing?
- What have you learnt from each other?
- What did you learn in the Living Labs?
- What would you do differently next time?
- You can also use diagrams/visuals
- 250 words text