Key long-term strategic decisions in water and sanitation services management in Finland, 1860–2003

This paper describes the key long-term strategic decisions related to the evolution of water and sanitation services in Finland from the 1860s to 2003. The study was conducted in two phases: the first one based on a literature survey identified 40 key decisions while the second ranked those decisions by 13 senior national experts. According to the experts, the most important decisions concerned legislation, particularly water pollution control. There is a wide variety of options for organising services in relation to the size and scope of the systems. Although future options may seem abundant, the development paths are largely restricted by historical strategic decisions. Such path dependencies may be positive or negative.