By December 2022, the Hellenic Authority for Geological and Mineral Research (EAGME) had recorded 78,558 water boreholes across the country as part of the project “Systematic Recording of Water Boreholes of All Uses Nationwide – SAMY II,” funded by the Operational Programme “Transport Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development” of the NSRF 2014–2020 (2023).
For SAMY II, data entry work was completed following the conclusion of field surveys for the second half of 2022. During the field recording operations conducted in July, August, September, October, November, and December 2022, a total of 63 field teams consisting of 124 people participated. The field teams came from the Regional Units of Xanthi, Central Macedonia, Western Macedonia, Epirus, Peloponnese, Crete, and the Central Service.
The total number of boreholes recorded during the second half of 2022 amounts to 8,267 water monitoring sites located in the municipalities of Orestiada, Avdira, Iasmos, Topeiros, Polygyros, Aristotle, Kassandra, Amphipolis, Sithonia, Katerini, Dio–Olympos, Naousa, Edessa, Eretria, Kilkis, Thiva, Lokroi, Amfilochia, Megara, Marathonas, Argos–Mycenae, Oichalia, Eastern & Western Mani, Siteia, Kissamos, Chania, Sfakia, Gavdos, Apokoronas, and Heraklion.
In addition, eighty-nine (89) Technical Reports have already been prepared for the completed Groundwater Systems (GWS) of the Water Districts of Thrace, Central and Western Macedonia, Thessaly, Western and Eastern Peloponnese, and Crete.
The “SAMY II” project focuses on:
a) the systematic and comprehensive documentation of all water boreholes, including the completion of registration forms with technical, informational, measurement, and usage data,
b) the creation of a digital database, and
c) the estimation of available water quantities per Groundwater System (GWS), as defined in the national River Basin Management Plans.
During the recording process, information is collected regarding the operational status of each borehole, its primary and secondary use, technical specifications, depth, pumping rate, type and extent of irrigated area, as well as the days and hours of pumping. Where possible, on-site measurements of electrical conductivity (E.C.) in μS/cm and groundwater level depth (m) are also performed.
Based on the collected data, Technical Reports are prepared for each defined Groundwater System (GWS) included in the River Basin Management Plans, containing:
a) a description of geomorphological, geological, hydrogeological conditions, and land uses of the GWS,
b) statistical analysis and data processing to draw conclusions on all key parameters derived from the registration forms,
c) visualization of all parameters through thematic maps, and
d) estimation of the water balance components, classifying each GWS as either Surplus or Deficit.
The project serves as a key tool for the effective management of water resources and the protection of groundwater aquifers from overexploitation. It aims at the systematic inventory of all boreholes nationwide, recording water abstraction quantities both by use (domestic, agricultural, industrial, etc.) and by GWS. Furthermore, it contributes to the effective implementation of EU Directives 2000/60/EC, 118/2006/EC, and 676/91/EEC, as well as to the design, application, and monitoring of policies for the sustainable management of water resources.