Plant seen from aerial image during it closing down process. Five big round sedimentation basins can be seen here partly empty. Square aeration basins are located in middle of the image. Heating plant and a excess gas burner is located in upper corner. The old pond is still visible (nowadays filled with gravel). Other buildings are for maintenance, pumping and for sludge processing.

History: The plant was established around 1960 to satisfy needs of local people and factories located in Vantaa. During that time waste water treatment plant was nothing more than a small pond. It was upgraded in year 1966 by mechanical surface aeration systems. New upgrade plan was made in year 1967 and phase I was finished in 1971. New plan included necessarily facilities for mechanical-biological water purification and several new sewers to facility. Exit sewers to sea was also made. Facility received some other upgrades until it was closed down in year (still unclear) due the opening of new main waste water treatment plant located in Viikki, Helsinki. Machinery was sold to Estonia. The facility was surrounded by fence and guarded lightly. It was not enough to prevent local vandalism and nowadays area is full of tags and used by local military units as a training area.

Location: about 15 kilometers northwest from Helsinki, near Vuosaari junkyard (abandoned) and shipyard.

Preliminary intelligence preview: We were aware present of this facility many years ago as a part of locating good places for paintball games. We located plant in summer 2000 after a guide of our friend who was visited site during his army service. Site was fenced and guarded lightly and we where able to find our way in easily. We actually saw some people inside of the compound walking with a dog and guards passing by so entering seems to be not so prohibited as a sign imply. Place was pretty smearred but major parts where still intact and place have nice odd feeling. Some of the buildings seem to be demolished. Aeration basins where full of water and some parts of the machinery was still in basins or near of it.

Preliminary actions: Blue prints, photos and history from Helsinki Water.

Expedition log and images:

Floor plan with exploration comments

The FUE members finally entered to area in sunny and hot evening 19th of July 2002. Rumours about plant complete demolishion where shortly revealed false. We noted that only excess gas burner, one of the sedimetation basins, couple maintenance buildings and some walls in square aeration basin were teared down. Small scale tear down project is going on the area and small "guard house" was erected between the two sedimetation basins. Some items like catwalks, ladders and pumps etc. were removed but you could still easily imagine how this place look when it was in use.

Generally area look very peacefully and FUE did not encoutered any member of the human race. Other creatures, great and small, were off course well populated. There are some small rooms in pump room but at this time we deciced to concerated only to outside structures.

back to main

	The "main street" of Vuosaari plant. We are standing above the main sewer which penetrates the whole area, facing to south. Square aeration basins and the pump room can be seen at end of the "street" and one of the four remaining sedimentation basins is located at left.
	Now we are standing at the (missing) catwalk of the sedimentation basin, facing still to south. Member of the FUE carefully checks the route.
	Standing on the roof of the pump control house, facing to north. Square aeration basins are partly demolished, part of the walls are cleaved and some stuff has been brought inside of the former basins. Seems to me that someone wants to make a depot here or something.
	Still on the roof of pump control house, facing to south. With this pump, partly cleaned waste water was pumped to last basins to wait for while before dumping in to the sea. Only one of the three original pumps is still in place. Others are probably sold to somewhere. I wonder what was wrong with this one? Could it be a good souvenier for the FUE?
	Pump control house from south.
	Sitting at the edge of the southernmost post sedimentation basin. For reason not clear to me, there was a pump pumping more water to this basin.
	Same post sedimentation basin. We estimed that the basin could be 3-4 meters deep.
	The second post sedimentation basin. Member of the FUE is showing very stupid way how to get yourself in to trouble. He is about to walk in the center of the basin on the non-existing catwalk. There are no way to angle this guy from the basin if he should fall.
	Under the non-existing catwalk to center. This basin was almost empty so you can compare the water levels to another basin mentioned above.
	Entry to the last part of the main sewer. Following this sewer couple of kilometers you end up in the Gulf of Finland.
Some images to come