Demo Case 2
Athens, Greece
Background
EYDAP’s external raw water supply system serves almost all the Attica Basin (including Salamina island) of 4.000.000 inhabitants, with 387 hm3/y. The system comprises more than 495km of external aqueduct system; 14.500km internal distribution system and 4 major water reservoirs whose optimal operation guarantees water provision in the water-scarce climate of the Mediterranean.
Key facts
The hydro system’s operation relies on a network of water quantity and quality sensors and related hydraulic and resource management tools to optimise the supply of Athens’s 4 large drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) as well as several smaller DWTP supplying smaller municipalities along the aqueducts.
Expected impacts
- Develop risk assessment approaches and tools for EYDAP water sources looking at the catchment scale and define and operationalise resilience.
Facilitate the integration of different water quality sensors into a common operational picture.
Leverage the power of analytics and decision support tools on the new data.
Investigate alternative small-scale DWTPs that are more compact and adaptable against new pollutants.
Challenges
Intensive agricultural practices around Lake Yliki contribute to nutrient loading, requiring advanced monitoring solutions to ensure water quality remains within safe limits.
Current laboratory-based testing methods are slow and infrequent, making it challenging to detect and respond to dynamic changes in water quality promptly. On-line sensors offer a solution by providing continuous, real-time data.
Adapting treatment processes to fluctuating water quality conditions requires advanced decision-making tools and predictive models to ensure efficiency and resilience.
Activities
Strategic points at Lake Yliki and Polydendri DWTP are designated for sensor deployment to enhance water quality monitoring and operational readiness.
Utilization of USVs equipped with advanced sensors for real-time water quality data collection and surface water sampling, complementing other monitoring tools to address nutrient runoff and microbial contamination.
Application of advanced data-driven models to predict critical water quality variations, such as nutrient loading and microbial contamination, enhancing operational decision-making and planning.
Implementation of a compact treatment unit featuring membrane-based biofilm reactor (MABR) technology at Polydendri DWTP, designed to manage varying raw water quality conditions effectively.
Partners involved
