Saimaa lake reaches record low water levels disrupting boating and cottage life

Water levels in Lake Saimaa, Finland’s largest lake, have dropped to historic lows for the second consecutive summer, severely impacting boating, fishing, and cottage life, Yle reports.

Cottage owners along the lake’s shores say docks now stand on dry land, making it impossible to moor boats or even fetch water. Riitta Neuvonen, who has owned a summer cottage in Taipalsaari’s Kattelussaari since 2006, said the water is now only ankle-deep at the end of her dock—previously deep enough to swim from.

“My sons said the dock has to be extended because you can’t even properly tie up a boat anymore,” Neuvonen told Yle. She now wades into the lake in rubber boots to collect sauna water, as buckets can no longer reach the waterline from the dock.

The situation is similar across the lake. In Vuoriniemi’s Laurlahden, summer resident Jari Johansson said his boat can no longer be kept at the dock or on the muddy shore. “It looks like there’s no point in going to the summer cottage at all this year,” he wrote in an email to Yle.

Lowest levels in over 50 years

Experts warn this summer could see the lowest water levels in Lake Saimaa since the late 1970s. Tapio Tuukkanen, a water management specialist at the South Karelia Centre for Economic Development, said the lake’s summer levels have not been this low in over five decades.

The prolonged drought is partly to blame, but climate change is accelerating the trend. Noora Veijalainen, a hydrologist at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), explained that milder winters with less snow and ice mean water no longer lingers in the landscape as long as it once did.

“In the past, the highest water levels occurred in late winter or spring, but now they peak earlier and drop faster as summer approaches,” Veijalainen said. “If this trend continues, low summer water levels could become the new normal in Finland’s lake districts.”

Navigation hazards emerge

The receding waters have exposed underwater rocks and shoals, creating hazards for boaters. Pekka Temonen, who has lived on Saimaa’s shore since the 1980s, said he has never seen the lake this low for two consecutive years.

“Rocks are now visible that I’ve never seen before,” he noted. “Old boating routes are no longer safe.”

Authorities suggest reducing lake outflow where possible to mitigate the issue, but long-term solutions remain unclear. For now, cottage owners face a summer of disrupted traditions—with some, like Neuvonen, already planning costly dock extensions just to keep their boats afloat.