Köhniönjärvi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkø̞hniø̞jˌjærʋi]) is a lake in the Kypärämäki district of Jyväskylä, Finland, covering an area of 29 hectares (72 acres).[1] The residential area of Köhniö is located to its east, though it does not extend to its shores. The Haapamäki–Jyväskylä railroad passes by the lake's southern shore.[3]

Köhniönjärvi
View from the Köhniö beach.
LocationJyväskylä
Coordinates62°14′35″N 25°39′58″E / 62.243°N 25.666°E / 62.243; 25.666
Primary outflowsKöyhänoja
Basin countriesFinland
Surface area28.764 ha (71.08 acres)[1]
Average depth6.7 m (22 ft)[2]
Max. depth18 m (59 ft)[3]
Shore length13.301 km (2.051 mi)[1]
Surface elevation126.1 m (414 ft)[3]
Islandsnone[3]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The lake's average depth is 6.7 metres (22 ft)[2] and its maximum depth is 18 metres (59 ft), the deepest point is located in its southeastern part. The surface level of the lake is 126 metres (413 ft) above sea level.[3]

Geography

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Köhniönjärvi is located in the Kymijoki main basin and is part of its second-order Päijänne basin (Suur-Päijänteen alue).[4] The catchment area of Köhniönjärvi itself covers an area of 12.2 square kilometres (4.7 sq mi), of which 66% is dense forest, 9.1% is sparse forest, 3.9% is water and 0.2% is wetland. The rest of the area is residential or industrial. The catchment area extends to the southern slopes of the hill Laajavuori in the north and to the settlement of Taka-Keljo in the south, also covering much of the Kypärämäki and Keltinmäki districts.[5]

There are multiple smaller lakes or ponds within the catchment area, including Soidenlampi, Mustalampi and Kotalampi in the south as well as Rimminlampi, Killervä and Riihilampi in the north.[5][6] Köhniönjärvi itself discharges into the Jyväsjärvi via the 3.8-kilometre (2.4 mi) long[1] Köyhänoja, which follows the Haapamäki–Jyväskylä railroad for much of its course, also passing through the residential areas of Tarhamäki and Kukkumäki.[3]

Environmental values

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Köhniönjärvi in the winter.

Water quality

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There is a public beach maintained by the town on the eastern shore of the lake, making water sampling necessary. The water of the Köhniönjärvi is rich in nutrients; based on samples taken from a metre below surface level in October 2019, the water of the lake had a nitrogen level of 630 μg/l and a phosphorus level of 15 μg/l. Due to high nutrient levels and the small size of the lake causing its water to warm up quickly, cyanobacteria is found almost every summer, however generally not to an extent where swimming would be unsafe. E. coli and Enterococcus bacteria levels have also remained low between 2019 and 2022 and the water has been deemed safe for swimming. There have been some exceptions, such as a norovirus contamination for a brief period in 2022.[2]

Shores

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The southern shores of the lake are covered by relatively old spruce-dominated forest, providing habitat for Siberian flying squirrels, which are endangered in Finland. Notable plants found in the area include Platanthera bifolia and Goodyera repens.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Köhniönjärvi in the Paikkatietoikkuna map service". kartta.paikkatietoikkuna.fi. National Land Survey of Finland (Maanmittauslaitos); hydrographic data: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Uimavesiprofiili / Köhniö - Jyväskylän seudun ympäristöterveys" (PDF). jyvaskyla.fi (in Finnish). City of Jyväskylä. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Köhniönjärvi (location on a map) - Karttapaikka". asiointi.maanmittauslaitos.fi. National Land Survey of Finland (Maanmittauslaitos). Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  4. ^ Paavilainen, Päivi (9 November 2009). "Jyväskylän kaupunki: Valuma-alueselvitys – Kartta 1 (Päävaluma-alueet ja pääuomat)" [Drainage basin report – Map 1 (Main catchment areas)] (PDF). jkl.fi (in Finnish). Ramboll. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b "VALUE - Valuma-alueen rajaustyökalu" [Drainage basin measurement tool]. paikkatieto.ymparisto.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  6. ^ Paavilainen, Päivi (9 November 2009). "Jyväskylän kaupunki - Valuma-alueselvitys, Kartta 4 (Kaupunkialueen valuma-alueet ja pääreitit)" [Drainage basin report - map 4: catchment areas within the urban area] (PDF). jyvaskyla.fi (in Finnish). Ramboll. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  7. ^ Pietarinen, Päivi; Sihvonen, Heikki (1 October 2007). "Jyväskylän merkittävät luontokohteet" [Notable nature sites of Jyväskylä] (PDF). jkl.fi (in Finnish). City of Jyväskylä. p. 19. Retrieved 11 November 2024.