Development of water resources management modelling systems for the Greek Water Districts

Introduction of the European Water Framework sets new standards for river basin management in EU and highlights the need to relate resource problems, their causes, requirements from population and environment with programs of measures for improving the situation and the socioeconomic costs/benefits of such programmes.In Central and Northern Greece a comprehensive system for planning and management of the surface and groundwater resources was developed, including a comprehensive GIS related database;  analysis tools assisting the management in creating overview and drawing conclusion on the basis of the diversified information stored in the data base; a  distributed and physically based hydrological modelling system for detailed investigation of groundwater and surface water issues in critical areas; and finally, a management model for analysis of water use, supply security, water quality, environmental issue and measures for problem alleviation over a broad scale such as trans basin transfers, reservoir operation, effect of changed abstraction patterns etc. 

Detailed integrated groundwater and surface water models were developed for the various important aquifer systems while the management models covers the entire Central and Western Greece The models are being used to investigate overexploitation of the aquifers, reservoirs for irrigation and drinking water purposes and alleviation measures such as alternative supplies from neighbouring districts with water abundance. The system is being prepared for analyses of impacts also from possible changes in land use, climate and agricultural practices. The management models are combined with economic models to ease the cost-benefit evaluation of the various action plans.