About Saimaa Dam

Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland and the fourth-largest natural freshwater lake in Europe, forming the heart of the Finnish Lakeland in the South Savo and Karelia regions. Stretching across more than 4,400 square kilometres with a labyrinthine coastline of some 14,000 kilometres, Saimaa is not a single lake but an interconnected system of water bodies drained by the Vuoksi river into Lake Ladoga in Russia. Regulation began in 1896 with the construction of the Tainionkoski sluice and was significantly modernised in subsequent decades to manage seasonal flooding in Savonlinna and other lakeside cities. With a water volume of approximately 9,000 million cubic metres, Saimaa is a critical freshwater resource for eastern Finland. It is also the only habitat of the critically endangered Saimaa ringed seal, a relic species from the Ice Age that became isolated when the lake was cut off from the Baltic sea. Conservation efforts for the seal directly influence water regulation schedules, making Saimaa one of the few lakes in the world where hydropower management is explicitly co-governed with wildlife protection. The lake district surrounding Saimaa draws millions of visitors annually.