Is it as bad as it sounds or as good as it looks? Experiences of Finnish water discharge limits

Abstract

The waste water discharges of Finnish industry have mainly been regulated by permits. The permits contain limits and requirements individually set for each plant, taking into account the ecological characteristics of the specific site as well as the technological and economic features of the plant. Despite great increases in production, discharges into water by the Finnish pulp and paper industry have decreased markedly in recent decades. For example, the total biochemical oxygen demand of discharges in 1997 was less than 10% of the corresponding figure for 1982. This paper examines the development of the limits included in the permits and their effects on the discharges of the entire Finnish pulp and paper industry. Statistical analyses of mill level data are combined with the results of thematic interviews. The results show that permit conditions are only one of several factors responsible for the reduced discharges. In some cases clear effects of permit limits can be identified, whereas in other cases they have had no effect. The study shows that more information can be gathered by combining quantitative and qualitative research methods than by using these methods separately.