The hot weather hasn’t increased water consumption in the Metropolitan Area

In spite of the heat-wave that has continued for weeks, water consumption in the Metropolitan Area has increased hardly at all. The amount of raw water piped from Lake Päijänne to the Vanhakaupunki and Pitkäkoski water treatment plants in Helsinki was only slightly larger at the beginning of July than in July last year.

The hot weather hasn’t affected the raw water temperature either. Water is taken from Lake Päijänne at a depth of 26 metres, which means that the water has a temperature of 2–10 degrees all year round and that there will not be any great changes in the temperature even in summer. Hot spells in summer raise the water temperature with a delay so that the water is at its warmest in October.

On hot days, water is consumed most of all in the afternoons in the Metropolitan Area. Water consumption is then twice as extensive as during peak consumption in the mornings.