The Federal State Budgetary Institution, Northwest Administration for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (NW AHEM) and colleagues from the Finnish Environment Institute visited the water quality and discharge monitoring sites in the Sestra ( Rajajoki) and Selesnevka (Rakkolanjoki) rivers at the end of November 2018).
Water samples were taken from the Sestra River at two sites. The sampling procedure was in line with the Finnish recommendations. In the headwater region of the Sestra River, the water temperature was a bit lower than in the lower reaches, which might be due to effluent discharges.
There were two water sampling locations in the Selesnevka. A suitable measurement location was searched for an online sensor for water quality recording, a device to be installed in spring 2019 in the project. In both places the river bed was rocky and there were rapids. Eventually, it was decided that the location in the headwater site is more suitable for continuous water quality measurements.
The field survey was very successful and the Finnish partners got a good impression of the rivers and the measurements performed there. A water level device was already installed at the upper reaches of the River Seleznevka. This site also had equipment for flow metering.
Finnish experts Petri Ekholm and Sirkka Tattari following the sampling in Serstra-river. Photo Ljudmila Vesikko.