Environmental protection permits

Activities that pose a risk of environmental pollution must have a permit in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. Activities requiring a permit include large animal shelters, professional waste treatment, forestry, metal and chemical industries.

Depending on the scale of the operation, the environmental permit application is decided by either the Siilinjärvi Municipal Authority Board or the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

The average processing time for an environmental permit application in Siilinjärvi municipality is about 3 months.

The activities to be registered are those listed in Annex 2 of the Environmental Protection Act, namely energy production plants with a fuel capacity of less than 50 MW, liquid fuel distribution stations, asphalt plants, dry-cleaning plants, organic solvent plants, and stationary concrete plants and concrete product plants. The notification of registration is submitted to the municipal authority board at least 90 days before the start of the activity.

Registration is a recording measure, which does not involve an administrative decision or the issuing of orders. The activity can start once the municipality’s environmental protection authority has registered the activity or 90 days have elapsed since the notification was submitted. The operator is informed of the registration.

The general notification procedure under the Environmental Protection Act applies to certain activities that have a minor impact on the environment. The obligation to notify an activity is laid down in Section 115a of the Environmental Protection Act, and the activities subject to notification are listed in Annex 4 to the Act. The Authority will issue an appealable decision on the notification.

As a general rule, a permit is required for the extraction of soil (stone, gravel, sand, clay and soil). If the extraction of soil involves quarrying and/or crushing for 50 days or more, an environmental permit is also required. An application for a soil permit and an environmental permit can be submitted together (so-called joint permit).

A permit is not required to extract soil for your own domestic use. However, if more than 500 m³ of material is to be extracted for domestic use, the extraction must be notified.

During construction, materials can be removed without a soil permit if the activity requires it under the building permit. An environmental permit is not required for extraction in connection with earthworks if the construction is covered by another permit issued by the authority.

According to the Land Extraction Act, extraction must always be organised in the least harmful way possible and materials must be used sparingly, whether or not a permit is required.

Any other permits that may be required:

• Water permit (groundwater area or extraction below groundwater level)
• EIA procedure (extraction area over 25 ha or extraction volume > 200 000 m³/a)

If an application for an environmental permit has to be made to the Licensing and Inspectorate, the latter will also decide on the land use permit.

How to apply for a permit

The application for a permit is made in writing via the e-service. The detailed content of the permit application can be found in the Earth Materials Regulation. The application must be accompanied by an extraction plan, drawings and an after-care plan, among other things.

The permit is granted by the Siilinjärvi Authority Board. Applications pending before the Board and the issuing of the permit decision are announced on the municipality’s website. The average processing time for an application is 3 months. A fee is charged for processing the permit application and inspecting the extraction plan in accordance with the Siilinjärvi municipality’s land material tax.

A water permit is required for the use of water and construction in a water body. Water management projects that require a permit include.

• construction of a bridge over a public waterway
• construction of a water main, sewer and cable under a public waterway
• dredging and filling of the water area

If necessary, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will assess the need for a water permit for the project.

Small-scale water management projects must be notified to the Finnish Supervisory Agency:

• small-scale dredging
• mowing aquatic vegetation
• extraction of soil from water
• minor drainage
• fording of a watercourse
• surface and groundwater abstraction (100 – 230 m³/day)

On the basis of the notification, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will assess the need for a permit under the Water Act. However, if the dredged material exceeds 500 m³, a permit under the Water Act must always be applied for. The Finnish Supervisory Agency may grant permission for dredged material to be placed on another person’s land if the owner of the land does not consent. Structures such as jetties or boat sheds on the water or on the beach may also require a permit from the municipal building control authority.

The municipal environmental protection authority handles disputes about drainage that do not require a water permit or a drainage action. The issues to be resolved are:

• digging a ditch on someone else’s land or across someone else’s private road
• changing the direction of the ditch
• discharging water into a ditch or stream on someone else’s land
• other similar reasons.

According to the Environmental Protection Act, certain activities that cause environmental damage must be notified to an environmental permit authority or supervisory authority.

These functions include:

• the use of waste in civil engineering,
• temporary noise and vibration,
• experimental activities,
• exceptional situations, and
• cleaning up contaminated soil and groundwater.

The noise notification is submitted 30 days before the start of the activity via the electronic service of the municipality of Siilinjärvi. The most common activities that require notification are, for example, events that last late or for several days and construction-related demolition work, blasting, quarrying, impact piling or other similar construction work that produces noise that is temporarily perceived as disturbing. If necessary, the environmental protection authority may be contacted before submitting a noise report if the operator is in doubt as to whether a noise report is necessary.

In exceptional circumstances, dry manure may be stored in a pile in the field if required for technical or hygiene reasons. The storage of manure in a pile must be notified 14 days before the start of storage to the municipal environmental protection authority via the electronic case management service.

The spreading of manure and organic fertilisers is allowed from the beginning of April to the end of October. However, manure may not be spread on snow-covered or grass-covered soil or on soil saturated with water. Derogations from the ban on manure spreading may be granted until the end of November in cases where exceptional weather conditions have prevented the spreading of manure during the growing season. The application of manure in exceptional circumstances must also be notified by the end of October to the municipal environmental protection authority via the e-service.

A decommissioned oil or chemical tank is waste that must be cleaned up and removed from the ground. Environmental protection must be notified before the decommissioning of the tank.

The environmental protection authority may, on application, grant a derogation from the removal of an underground oil or chemical tank if removal is technically very difficult or would cause damage to other property.