Characterization of the metal leakage from Finnish agricultural acid sulphate soils in the light of the European Water Framework Directive

On the coastal plains of Finland, widespread acid sulphate soils have developed as a result of agricultural drainage activities and constitute a massive supplier of metals and acidic compounds to the aquatic environment. As a consequence, the aquatic life (fish, etc.) is seriously damaged in many water courses. The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) which came into force in December 2000, sets new goals for the condition of Europe's waters. For surface waters the overall objective is `good chemical and ecological status', which shall be achieved by December 2015. Furthermore, there is a list of `priority substances' in the WFD, for which discharges, emissions and losses have to be reduced or phased out. The existing environmental data concerning the Finnish AS soils show that the current management of these soils results in aquatic impacts which clearly conflicts with the provisions of the WFD.