Impact of human activities and infrastructure works on hydro morphological characteristics of Alfeios River, Greece

The Alfeios River is the greatest in length and flow-rate river in Peloponnisos and constitutes an important water resource and ecosystem of Western Greece. A number of infrastructure works and human activities have been constructed and are operating in Alfeios River Basin, while in the past extensive gravel extraction occurred. The impacts of infrastructure works and gravel extraction mainly in the Lower Alfeios Basin on the hydromorphological river characteristics are described and analyzed. Increased conductivity values were observed at the position close to the steam electric power plant due to the discharge of wastewater. The results show that gravel extraction and infrastructure works, in conjunction with the reduced sediment transport rates, cause long-term adverse effects on riverbed erosion as well as on the water level.