Supreme Administrative Court confirms need for a water permit for gravel extraction in Kerolankangas

The Supreme Administrative Court did not grant leave to appeal to the gravel extraction operators in Kerolankangas. Consequently, the decisions of the Vaasa Administrative Court remain in force. Although the activities were granted legally valid permits several years ago, their continuation now requires a permit under the Water Act because they pose a risk to groundwater.

In 2021, the North Karelia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment launched a multi-stage process to safeguard the availability of high-quality groundwater following deterioration in water quality caused by gravel extraction. Nickel and sulphate concentrations in groundwater at the Kerola water intake had been increasing for several years. Following the first round of court proceedings, the North Karelia ELY Centre initiated administrative enforcement proceedings under the Water Act in 2023 against five gravel extraction operators in the Kerolankangas area. The Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland, through its administrative enforcement decisions, ordered the operators to apply for a permit under the Water Act if they wished to continue gravel extraction. The decisions also restricted activities involving disturbance of the soil during the permit application process.

The operators appealed the decisions to the Vaasa Administrative Court. The Administrative Court dismissed the appeals, finding that the evidence concerning groundwater quality, groundwater flow conditions and the impacts of gravel extraction demonstrated the need for a permit under the Water Act. According to the Administrative Court, the conditions for continuing the activities must be assessed through a water permit procedure.

The operators sought leave to appeal from the Supreme Administrative Court against the decisions of the Vaasa Administrative Court. In its decisions issued on 17 September 2026, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected the applications for leave to appeal. Consequently, the decisions of Vaasa Administrative Court remain in force, and the aggregate extraction operators in Kerolankangas must apply for a permit under the Water Act in order to continue their activities.

The outcome is significant for safeguarding the water supply. It establishes an important precedent for addressing situations in which gravel extraction activities were granted legally valid permits several years earlier, but their adverse effects on groundwater quality only became apparent later. If an activity poses a risk to groundwater quality, a water permit must be obtained for that activity.

The water permit procedure will include a more detailed assessment of the effects of gravel extraction on groundwater quality, groundwater flow conditions and the suitability of the Kerola water intake for water supply. The increase in nickel concentrations observed at the Kerola water intake, together with the elevated nickel concentrations measured in soil and groundwater in the area, formed a central part of the assessment.

Suomen Pohjavesitekniikka Oy has acted as the water supply expert in the case, preparing all statements and responses submitted during the court proceedings. The company has also conducted investigations into the groundwater conditions in Kerolankangas and the changes in water quality at the Kerola water intake. The findings formed a key part of the evidence used in the administrative enforcement proceedings and subsequent court proceedings.

The continuation of large-scale gravel extraction in Kerolankangas requires a water permit.