A management framework for the efficient use of surface water resources in Sithonia Peninsula (Greece)

The Peninsula of Sithonia is one of many typical regions in Greece in which overexploitation of local
aquifers has led to several serious problems related to quantity and quality degradation of groundwater
reserves. In this paper, a management plan is presented that aims at the utilization of the so far
unexploited surface water resources of the area in order to restore the degraded aquifers and to supplement
the groundwater supplies, mostly for domestic use. To this end the total municipal water
demand and the potential of surface waters are first estimated at both the local and regional levels.
Next, four alternative management schemes are examined, each one consisting of a different number
of reservoirs. A preliminary evaluation of these water supply alternatives, that concludes the paper, is
based on both operational and economic factors in order to facilitate a future multi-criterion decisionmaking
analysis.