WWF Greece, MedINA, and the Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research (HISR), in collaboration with the Municipality of Paros and the Paros Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Company (DEYAP), are implementing a new pilot project in Paros, aimed at constructing a series of small stone weirs (dams a few dozen centimetres high) in the Kavouropotamos stream.
As part of the project’s launch on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at 6:00 p.m., in the Archilochos Hall (Parikia), an open event will be held to present all planned activities and discuss the expected results.
A few words about stone weirs
Traditionally, in areas where water scarcity has always been a concern, local communities have employed various methods to address the problem of water shortages. Among various engineering projects (e.g., cisterns), small stone weirs along the beds of ephemeral streams were a traditional and effective water management practice in the Mediterranean islands, the roots of which is lost in time.
The purpose of these structures was to reduce the slope of the streambed and collect small amounts of water, usually for irrigation purposes. However, in addition, these traditional structures always performed two other very important functions:
- they helped replenish underground aquifers with freshwater, as they reduced the flow velocity of the water by retaining it and facilitating its infiltration into the soil, and
- they served as important hubs of biodiversity, oases in the arid environment of the Cycladic islands that hosted many plants and animals, while providing precious water to all animals during the summer months.
With the decline of agriculture, this practice on the islands fell into disuse. However, in recent decades, significant efforts have been made to document the value of stone weirs and revive their use. The first systematic effort in the island region, aimed at replenishing underground aquifers and protecting against erosion, took place in Apeiranthos on Naxos (1992–1994), while the most recent intervention on an island took place in September 2020 at the Karavas stream in Kythera, on the initiative of MedINA and the Kytherian Foundation for Culture and Development (KIPA). In Kythera particularly, the interventions yielded impressive results, as the stream’s flow was restored within days of the weirs’ construction, even though the work was carried out at the end of the dry season.
The projects in Naxos and Kythera empirically demonstrated the effectiveness and potential of stone weirs as green infrastructure for replenishing groundwater and addressing water scarcity on the arid islands of the Aegean.
The case of Paros
The pilot project currently underway in Paros draws on the experience gained from these efforts, which will be combined with systematic documentation of the advantages and benefits associated with the restoration of stone weirs in the ephemeral streams of the Aegean islands.
Specifically, the project involves the construction of 33 stone weirs in the Kavouropotamos stream, located in the Aspro Chorio area in the southern part of Paros. Following the completion of the necessary technical report and the securing of the relevant permits, construction of the stone weirs will take place in June 2022. The team of “Boulouki”, which specialises in traditional building techniques, will provide scientific support for the construction phase of the project. During the construction phase, a four-day participatory workshop on stone weir construction will also be organised in collaboration with the Paros Festival, with the aim of providing hands-on training in stone weir construction and disseminating know-how for this specific traditional practice. Before and after the construction of the weirs, systematic visits will be conducted to record the area’s fauna and flora, as well as to measure groundwater levels. The first measurements have already begun, and the recordings are ongoing.
“By drawing on the knowledge and inspiration of our country’s traditional, sustainable natural resource management practices, and with the help of science and innovation, we can provide solutions to today’s critical environmental issues. We hope this project will serve as a precursor to a larger initiative to construct small stone weirs on many Aegean islands”, says Lily Mordechai, Head of Development at MedINA.
“Small stone weirs are interventions that blend seamlessly with the landscape and character of the Greek islands. As we face the enormous challenges of climate change, these projects can serve as Nature-based Solutions, contributing to the replenishment of groundwater with the aim of addressing water scarcity and the salinisation of aquifers on small Aegean islands”, emphasises Panagiota Marangou, Head of Environmental Protection Programmes at WWF Greece.
