Music and words: Urmas Sisask

There are plans to open an 2200 ha large limestone mineral deposit in Nabala karst area of Lake Ülemiste drainage basin. Opening the mineral deposit would cause great damage to nature, including the destruction of Tuhala Witch's Well, reputed throughout Europe and visited every year by 15000–20000 wilderness lovers, including tourists arriving on cruise ships from all over the world. When the Witch's Well is boiling, the number of visitors increases manifold.

It would be the greatest restructuring of nature in Estonia, the consequences of which are unforeseeable.

For this first-time full-scale mining operation below groundwater level Estonia has no technological solutions, calculations of cost-effectiveness or earlier experience. No assessment of cumulative combined effect of all quarries on the environment has ever been conducted.

Instead of rare orchids, birch-woods would start growing in the five spring marshes of the karst area. Tuhala Witch's Well would hardly ever be boiling again.

When applying for excavation permits, rather peculiar tactics have been used. In the research and assessments of environmental impact ordered by the developers the existence of Nabala karst area with its underground rivers, archaeological landmarks and nature conservation areas is knowingly never mentioned. The research includes groundwater modelling which according to the naturalists’ opinion is not applicable in the karst area. Unfortunately it is based on such research that dishonest efforts are made to receive excavation permits. The situation is extremely grave, since the development plan for mineral resources used in construction is soon to be approved. According to the plan, a huge limestone mineral deposit in Nabala will be opened. Officially, the mineable reserve of limestone in Estonia without Nabala mineral deposit is registered for ca 100 years, including proved reserve for ca 40 years. Actually there is no deficit of limestone for construction and no road builders are in bad need for Nabala mineral deposit. The mineable reserves of this limestone mineral deposit should be re-evaluated as sub-marginal mineral resource.

Eight underground rivers emerge in Nabala karst area of which four start from the Tuhala River. The water preservation area of Tuhala and Nabala karst area is Mahtra marshland.

MTÜ Tuhala Looduskeskus has made a proposition to the Ministry of the Environment to establish the Nabala landscape protection area.

At the crossing of rural municipality borders of Kose, Kiili, Kohila and Saku, within the Nabala karst area (8080 ha), the state Nabala landscape protection area could be established on the basis of existing and new protection areas. Those areas are Rahaaugu special conservation area and Tammiku nature reserve, which have been entered into the Natura 2000 area network; apart from those there is the Pahkla landscape protection area and the landscape protection areas of Lutsa, Tagadi and Kurevere which are currently being established. The newly formed area would join the mentioned adjacent protection areas into one integral unit. The perimeter of the intended protected landscape in Nabala karst area would coincide with the external border of the above mentioned 6 protected areas, totalling 5533 ha of land.

In its proposal to the Ministry of the Environment about the values of Nabala karst area worthy of protection the Board of the Commission for Nature Conservation of the Academy of Sciences supports the idea of taking the whole karst area under protection. Various scientists emphasize the complicated hydrological regime, the valuable and fragile ecological system of the area and denounce the excavation of limestone in Nabala.

Tuhala Looduskeskus MTÜ (Nonprofit Association Tuhala Nature Centre)

Opinion of academician Anto Raukas, doctor of geology and mineralogy:

As we know, there is a plan to open 7 quarries in Nabala limestone mineral deposit in the near vicinity of Tuhala landscape protection area and one of the biggest karst areas in Estonia. The plans include underwater excavation and going to the depth of up to 25 m, of which Estonia has no previous experience. It is planned to lower the groundwater level up to 20 m, the environmental changes related to which are hard to predict, since it is a karst area with a complicated water network. One of the possible outcomes may be the destruction of the unique Tuhala Witch's Well, since a large amount of the Tuhala River high water will be drained by underground rivers before it reaches the Witch's Well. The inhabitants of surrounding 16 villages may also be in real danger. The drawdown cone may affect the area within the radius of 15 km, where there are at least a thousand household wells. The claim that the distance affected by the drawdown cone is only 3.5 km needs more scrutiny, since in case of the karst area the classical models need not work. The formation of Rahkvälja, Tagadi, Pahkla and Kurevere landscape protection areas in the name of protecting the karst, springs, key biotopes and environment is justified since it excludes the possibility that essential decisions will be made without deliberation and in a hurry.

Opinion of hydro-geologist Hella Kink, candidate of geology and mineralogy:

The Nabala landscape protection area is in the crossing point of Kiili, Saku and Kose rural municipalities of Harju County and Kohila rural municipality of Rapla county between Tõdva, Tuhala, Angerja and Nabala. With regard to its area (8080 ha), Nabala is the biggest karst area in Estonia. The main task of a nature reserve is to protect groundwater reserves, unique geological objects of scientific value (karst), habitats of endangered associations and species. This unique natural and cultural entity has scientific, water protection and biological significance. Parts of its natural merits are included in the Natura network.

Ülo Heinsalu (1928−1994) and Endel Varep (1915−1988) have thoroughly researched Nabala karst area. The Institute of Hydrogeology has measured its flow rates. The scientists of Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of Estonian University of Life Sciences have inventoried the rare plants. Finnish geology scientists from the company Roadscanners OÜ performed georadar measurements of underground rivers in Nabala in 2008.

8 underground rivers flow in the karst area of which six emerge in Paekna spring lake. The longest is the Kurevere underground river (11 km). The underground karst development is intensive in limestones of Nabala deposit. Valleys, depressions, lakes, swallow holes and springs above the subterranean rivers form an interesting karst landscape. Four sizeable rivers – Keila, Vääna, Pääsküla and Pirita – are connected with Nabala karst area. The biggest karst areas of the region – Nabala, Tuhala and Kuimetsa – are interconnected by underground flow runs. The Mahtra marshland is the catchment area. Nabala karst area also belongs to the drainage basin of Lake Ülemiste.

34 species of rare plants, of which 22 are orchids, grow in Nabala karst area. Among them there are 6 plant species protected in accordance with the EU Nature Directive. There are also the permanent habitats of black stork and lesser spotted eagle.

The age of human settlement in Nabala is about 3000 years. 18 small hollow cult stones, four ancient settlement places, 12 stone burial mounds, three ancient fields and three stronghold refuges can be found here. AS Eesti Kaardikeskus has digitally entered the underground rivers on the main map of Estonia.

According to county planning, the forests of Nabala karst area are the core areas of green network. Some natural and cultural landmarks are protected separate entities. Within the Nabala karst area, Tammiku nature reserve and Rahaaugu special conservation area belong to the network of Natura 2000. Pahkla, Lutsa (Rahkvälja), Tagadi and Kurevere landscape protection areas are established or to currently being established at the municipality level. The municipal councils of four rural municipalities have made their decision and concluded agreements with land owners. It is good idea to form one integral Nabala landscape protection area within Tammiku, Rahaaugu, Lutsa (Rahkvälja), Tagadi and Kurevere protected areas in the Nabala karst area.

Nabala karst area is entered into the Book of Primeval Nature, digitally available through Estonian Nature Information System. The perimeter of the intended integral protected landscape in the Nabala karst area would coincide with the external border of the above mentioned 6 protected areas, totalling 5533 ha of land.

Opinion of Katrin Erg, doctor of geology:

There are several formulas and modelling techniques for researching the hydrological regime of non-karst limestone deposits. The results of the approach used in ordinary conditions do not apply in karst areas. The hydrological regime of the karst area is unpredictable; it cannot be forecast with the help of a model based on drilled wells.