The lost water courses - Härjapea River

At the turn of the century the population of Tallinn was concentrated in the Härjapea River area. The river provided water for households and also served as a rubbish dump. After the construction of a sewer system all wastewater was directed into this river, transforming it into an open sewer. Local residents demanded a closed sewer, but it was regarded too expensive. Instead in 1923 the river was covered with planks to alleviate the nuisance. In the 1930s it was transformed into a closed sewer, and the river finally disappeared. Rivers, creeks, ponds or lakes have disappeared in all larger cities due to urbanisation. The filling of polluted water courses used to be a popular measure to postpone the protection measures. In 1980 a mechanical WWTP started to operate in Tallinn.