Environmental noise

The most important source of environmental noise in Kuopio is road traffic. Approximately 27,000 Kuopio residents live in road traffic noise areas where the daily average sound level exceeds 55 dB. Those most exposed to road traffic noise live in the city centre. In addition to the city centre, road traffic causes harm along the Finnish national road 5 as well as along the main routes leading to the city centre and on the streets of old residential areas. In residential areas built in the 1990s and 2000s, the prevention of road traffic noise has already been effectively taken into account in land use planning by protecting residential properties and their yard areas from noise. In sparsely populated areas and rural communities, exposure to road traffic noise is clearly lower than in the central urban area.

Separate noise banks and noise barrier have been built along national road 5 in the central urban area in locations such as Pitkälahti, Särkiniemi, Ritosenkangas and Kallansillat, for example. In new road projects, noise abatement has already been taken into account in the construction phase on national roads 5 and 17.

The main railway from Kouvola to Kajaani passes through Kuopio. Approximately 3,000 Kuopio residents live in railway noise areas, which include Männistö and Kettulanlahti. The harmful effects of rail traffic noise are emphasised at night, when more heavy goods trains run on the track.

The noise zone for Rissala airport extends a little over to Kuopio in Jännevirta, but there is in this aircraft noise area there are very few settlements. Military aviation is the most significant cause of aircraft noise in Rissala.

The impacts of noise from industrial and energy production plants are very local and are mainly limited to areas close to the plants. Noise has the greatest impact in the vicinity of Savon Sellu Oy, in the vicinity of Kuopion Energia Oy’s Haapaniniemi power plant and in the surroundings of stone quarrying and crushing plants. The greatest amount of stone crushing and quarrying is found in Hepomäki and Heinälamminrinne.

Kuopio has five shooting ranges and one motorsport track. The most significant of these is the Heinjoki shooting range and motorsport centre, whose noise areas extend to 0.5–1 km from the tracks.

Temporary noise impacts are caused by a wide range of construction and maintenance work, especially rock excavation and crushing as well as piling work. The noise impacts of noise-causing construction work are regulated by the municipal environmental protection regulations and the noise notification procedure laid down in the Environmental Protection Act.

Major public events, especially outdoor concerts in the summer, cause temporary noise pollution in the surroundings of the event venues. The most significant outdoor events are the Kuopio International Wine Festival in the passenger harbour, KuopioRock in Väinölänniemi and the festivals held in Tahko. The noise impacts of these events are regulated through the noise notification procedure.