Bathing water quality in Pohjois-Karjala, Finland
Pohjois-Karjala has 23 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (20 lake and 3 river). 100% were classified Excellent — 15.5 points above the 84.5% across Finland — and 0 were Poor. 21 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
Uimaveden laatu: Pohjois-Karjala
Pohjois-Karjala: 23 virallisesta EU-uimarannasta 100 % oli vuonna 2025 ”erinomainen”; luokituksen ”huono” saaneita: 0.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Pohjois-Karjala
Sea, lakes and rivers in Pohjois-Karjala
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 20 | 20 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| River | 3 | 3 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.
Most consistent Excellent sites
21 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- AAVARANTA 11 seasons
- AITTOLAMPI 11 seasons
- HONKALAHTI 11 seasons
- HONKANIEMI 11 seasons
- HYVARILA 11 seasons
- KERMANRANTA 11 seasons
- KUORINKA 11 seasons
- LINNUNLAHTI 11 seasons
- LOKKISAARI 11 seasons
- LOUHIOJA 11 seasons
- NIITTYLAHTI 11 seasons
- ONKILAMPI 11 seasons
- REIJOLA 11 seasons
- RUOKKEEN LOMAKYLA 11 seasons
- SARKISELKA 11 seasons
- SATAMA 11 seasons
- SATAMA 11 seasons
- TIMITRANNIEMI 11 seasons
- UIMALAITOS 11 seasons
- VALKEALAMPI 11 seasons
- VIEREVANNIEMI 11 seasons
- VEHKALAHTI 10 seasons
- ILOSAARI 5 seasons
Rated Poor in 2025
None of the 23 official bathing waters in Pohjois-Karjala was classified Poor in 2025.
How Pohjois-Karjala rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23 | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2024 | 23 | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2023 | 23 | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2022 | 23 | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2021 | 23 | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2020 | 22 | 22 | 100% | 0 |
| 2019 | 22 | 22 | 100% | 0 |
| 2018 | 22 | 22 | 100% | 0 |
| 2017 | 22 | 22 | 100% | 0 |
| 2016 | 23 | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2015 | 23 | 21 | 91.3% | 0 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Pohjois-Karjala
Each site is matched to its nearest named place (GeoNames, within 8 km in a straight line), so beaches of one resort or lake shore can be compared together. Select a place to show only its sites in the full list.
| Place | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joensuu | 7 | 7 (100%) | 0 |
| Kontiolahti | 3 | 3 (100%) | 0 |
| Lieksa | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Nurmes | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
All 23 official bathing waters in Pohjois-Karjala
Grouped by water type, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 23 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Lake 20 sites · 100% Excellent
- AAVARANTA · Joensuu Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- AITTOLAMPI Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- HONKALAHTI Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- HONKANIEMI · Joensuu Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- HYVARILA · Nurmes Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- KERMANRANTA · Heinävesi Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- KUORINKA Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- LINNUNLAHTI · Joensuu Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- LOKKISAARI · Valtimo Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- NIITTYLAHTI Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- ONKILAMPI · Joensuu Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- REIJOLA · Joensuu Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- RUOKKEEN LOMAKYLA Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- SARKISELKA · Outokumpu Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- SATAMA · Kontiolahti Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- SATAMA · Nurmes Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- TIMITRANNIEMI · Lieksa Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VALKEALAMPI · Kontiolahti Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VEHKALAHTI · Joensuu Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- VIEREVANNIEMI · Kontiolahti Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
River 3 sites · 100% Excellent
- ILOSAARI · Joensuu Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- LOUHIOJA · Eno Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- UIMALAITOS · Lieksa Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
Compared with other regions in Finland
| # | Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pohjois-Karjala | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2 | Keski-Suomi | 19 | 100% | 0 |
| 3 | Pirkanmaa | 35 | 94.3% | 0 |
| 4 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 19 | 89.5% | 0 |
| 5 | Southwest Finland (Varsinais-Suomi) | 18 | 88.9% | 0 |
| 6 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 70 | 75.7% | 1 |
| 7 | Pohjanmaa | 18 | 44.4% | 1 |
Regions with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.
Quick answers
- How many bathing waters in Pohjois-Karjala were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 23 of 23 (100%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 0 were Good, 0 Sufficient and 0 Poor. That ranks Pohjois-Karjala 1 of 7 Finland regions by Excellent share.
- Which beaches and lakes in Pohjois-Karjala have the best long-term record?
- 21 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example AAVARANTA, AITTOLAMPI, HONKALAHTI. See the ranking.
- Which places in Pohjois-Karjala have the most official bathing waters?
- Joensuu (7, 100% Excellent), Kontiolahti (3, 100% Excellent), Lieksa (2, 100% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Pohjois-Karjala rated Poor?
- No. None was classified Poor in 2025.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On Uimavesi (LVV) (Permit and Supervision Agency (LVV) and municipal health-protection authorities). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Finland overview · All regions of Finland · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Finland, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and area boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of Finland. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.