In the village of Taevaskoja, there has been a long-standing dispute over the future of Saesaare Lake. Local people, whose land is by the lake, are unhappy that they have to give consent for raising the water level, but no one asks for consent to remove the dam.
Margus Lillo, a local resident and board member of the Taevaskoja-Kiidjärve Recreation Area NGO, says: "If someone wants to remove the dam, it should be done with the consent of the landowners in the same way."
Both those in favor of removing the dam and those against it have organized to stand up for their positions. Both sides hope that a new environmental impact assessment will provide answers to the questions that have arisen.
Ahti Bleive, the village elder of Taevaskoja, says: "It is likely necessary to conduct a new environmental impact assessment, as the previous one was done 10 years ago. I hope that local residents will have a say." He adds that the final decision should be left to scientists and specialists who are more familiar with the field.