ABSTRACT
The Vuotos reservoir was a project of national importance in Finland. It had been under consideration in various guises by the people of Finnish Lapland since the 1960s. I happened to be writing my doctoral dissertation just as the Vuotos application by hydropower company, Kemijoki, was being processed, in accordance with the Finnish Water Act. Kemijoki filed its application in 1992 before the Water Court of Northern Finland and the matter was expected to proceed without any problem: inspectors would first survey the environmental impact of the Vuotos reservoir project and then the Water Court would decide whether to grant or withhold permission.
