Water resources management in Crete (Greece) including water recycling and reuse and proposed quality criteria

In Crete, Greece despite having adequate atmospheric precipitation, water imbalance is often experienced, because of temporal and spatial variations in the precipitation, an increase in water demand during summer months and the difficulty of transporting water due to the mountainous terrain. Crete can be regarded as a representative mediterranean region with a relatively high potential for wastewater recycling and reuse. Preliminary estimates show that the implementation of wastewater recycling and reuse plans would lead to water savings of up to 5% of the total irrigation water. The basic aim of this paper is to present views on integrated water resources management in Crete, Greece including the potential for the recycling and reuse of treated wastewater. A preliminary inventory, distribution and mapping of wastewater treatment systems in Crete is also presented. Furthermore, the quality of treated effluents, disposal sites, irrigated areas, and environmental, social, economical, and agronomical impacts are considered. Finally, quality criteria for reuse of treated wastewater in Greece and maybe for other mediterranean countries are proposed.