How Pori builds strong stormwater solutions through everyday work

This setting means that stormwater and flood management is part of everyday life for the municipality’s planners. For this, Aleksi Siirtola, Stormwater Engineer at the City of Pori, has used Scalgo Live in his work for the past five years.

"It is a good sandbox. Already the basic features are very useful, and with a bit more effort we make Workspaces, adjust the terrain and try out many things".

Aleksi Siirtola

For Aleksi, some of the most valuable functionalities in Scalgo Live are the simple everyday tools, such as checking the terrain slopes and water direction. All those quick assessments can be done without creating a Workspace.

“Sometimes we also use Scalgo Live during meetings to quickly check things".

Aleksi Siirtola

Pori’s flat and low-lying landscape makes surface water planning challenging. Almost invisible gradients mean that even a simple field visit can be surprisingly difficult, as it is not always clear to the naked eye where water should flow.

“Sometimes there is barely a slope at all, and the ditches can be so even that water can basically flow in either direction depending on where you place your pump,” Aleksi explains.

Here, the flow path analysis becomes useful. Ditches, both small and large, can be checked. The team also often uses the sea level rise analysis to understand how water pushes inland to help evaluate what the terrain looks like.

“Sometimes we also use Scalgo Live during meetings to quickly check things,” Aleksi says.

Simple dimensioning without external consultants

In a recent task, Aleksi used Scalgo Live for a small design job that would traditionally be sent to consultants.

This is a very basic use, but very helpful. There is no need to trouble a consultant, because the city’s stormwater engineer can do simple tasks independently”.

Aleksi Siirtola

“We needed to dimension a culvert, and I felt confident taking the responsibility myself. With Scalgo Live I saw that the catchment was twenty-five hectares, and with the Profile tool we checked the ditch slope. I also estimated the length of the culvert.”

This saves time and resources for the municipality.

“This is a very basic use, but very helpful. There is no need to trouble a consultant, because the city’s stormwater engineer can do simple tasks independently,” Aleksi concludes.

Testing flood measures in new developments

In another project, flood mitigation was assessed in the initial zoning of an area. The area has an old stream coming from the Kokemäenjoki River, and flood protection around the stream is missing.

“In a Workspace we redirected the flow and added embankments to test how the water behaves,” Aleksi says. “We can see the flood levels straight away and use the Profile tool to check how much water is still being left on the unbuilt fields to help evaluate the required basin sizes.”

These initial assessments will support the ongoing zoning of the area.

Supporting flood protection in the city centre

Pori is also strengthening flood protection in the central areas of the city. A smaller part of the central area still needs improved flood protection.

Aleksi explains: “With Scalgo Live we made assessments and tested what happens when embankments are placed along the river. We saw that a small floodplain will remain, because it is not possible to build flood protection right at the riverbank, but most of the area could be protected using embankments.”

A practical sandbox for everyday decisions

Across all these tasks, Scalgo Live gives Aleksi a flexible space to make fast evaluations and test ideas to understand how water behaves in Pori’s flat terrain.

“It is a good sandbox. Already the basic features are very useful, and with a bit more effort we make Workspaces, adjust the terrain and try out many things,” Aleksi concludes.