Pre-emptive measures to avoid drought
Water to be removed through tunnels from two rivers to boost capacity of artificial Evinos lake
The public water company (EYDAP) announced the launch of an ambitious project to draw water through tunnels from two rivers in Evrytania, central Greece, to fill the artificial lake Evinos.
The goal is for the project to become operational within three to four years, eliminating the danger of a serious water crisis in Attica. More immediately, EYDAP intends to take water from boreholes in the Viotian Kifissos basin and Mavrosouvalas. In the second stage, the artificial lake Kremasta will be linked to the system, along with the establishment of a desalination plant in the capital.
The parameters of the plans to tackle water scarcity in Attica and the rest of Greece were presented on Wednesday by EYDAP and the Environment Ministry.
According to Environment Minister Theodoros Skylakakis and the chief executive at EYDAP, Harry Sachinis, Attica’s current water deficit is estimated at 225 million cubic meters of water. In order to reduce this deficit by 75 million cubic meters, EYDAP has activated drilling at Mavrosouvalas in Oropos, pumped water from Lake Yliki, and is going to add drilling in the middle of the Viotian Kifissos basin. Ominously, however, Attica has, under the current drought conditions, water for only four more years.
They said the most appropriate solution for a major reinforcement of Attica’s reserves is to supply the Evinos reservoir from new water sources in Western Greece.
“The central solution is to boost the Evinos from Lake Kremasta, which has five times more storage space than all of EYDAP’s reservoirs combined,” said Skylakakis.
Sachinis said the project will be carried out in two phases. Initially, a public project will be developed to connect two rivers in the region with the reservoir at Evinos. The first river will be the Krikellopotamos, with a tunnel spanning around 12 km, and the second will be the Karpenisiotis, with a second tunnel spanning 7 km.
The cost of this project is estimated at 450 million euros.
A third (in series) tunnel will be built, stretching around 11 km, as a stand-alone project in a second phase that will reach Lake Kremasta.
The water will flow through the tunnel to the lake, where a another, smaller reservoir is intended to be built.
“The water will have to be pumped from Kremasta due to altitude difference. This facility can be used as a pumped storage project (i.e. power generation) and can therefore be self-financing,” Sachinis said. The cost of the project is estimated at 250 million euros.
