On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, the Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration (EAGME) successfully completed the fieldwork in the Water District of Crete, as part of the project S.A.M.Y. II “Systematic Inventory of Water Boreholes for All Uses Across the Country.”
A total of 5,349 water boreholes were recorded.
The work was carried out through on-site inspections conducted by the staff of EAGME’s Regional Unit of Crete, involving field documentation of the water boreholes and the completion of survey forms containing technical, informational, measurement, and usage data. The collected data have been entered into the project’s comprehensive digital geodatabase.
The purpose of the S.A.M.Y. II project is the systematic and comprehensive recording of water boreholes for all uses across all Groundwater Systems in Greece, aiming to calculate the extractable water quantities per use (drinking, irrigation, industrial, etc.) and per Groundwater System (GWS).
As part of the project, Technical Reports are being prepared for each Groundwater System (GWS) as defined in the River Basin Management Plans. The volume of extractable water serves as a key parameter for calculating water balances, helping to assess the condition of the Groundwater Systems and estimate the pressures they face, in order to take appropriate management measures and achieve sustainable utilization.
The results of the project support the actions of the General Directorate for Water of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN) and aim to strengthen the country’s water policy, ensuring both the quality and quantity of its water resources, while meeting the obligations set by the European Union Directives (60/2000/EC, 118/2006/EC, and 91/676/EEC).
The project is funded by the Operational Programme “Transport Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development” under the ESPA 2014–2020 (2023).