Industrial Waste Management in the Athens Area

Abstract

Industrial contributions constitute as much as 20% of the 700 000 m3 .d−1 of sewage discharged to the Saronikos gulf through the sewerage system which serves the Greater Athens area. The main industrial discharges originate from food, textile, pulp and paper, chemical, tanning and metal processing and electrical industries. In the majority of the cases the pretreatment is inadequate and the existing emission standards are violated. This results in increased concentrations of toxic metals in the sewage. The impact of these toxic discharges on the marine environment and the sewage treatment works have been investigated. Increased concentrations in the water column and the sediments have been reported but there are no indications of accumulation of toxic metals in the body of benthic organisms. The impact on the imminent operation of the treatment works for the sewage of Athens, have been investigated with the aid of pilot and bench scale studies. The results did not indicate a serious inhibition of the sensitive digestion and nitrification processes. However due to the high concentrations of the heavy metals, with average values approaching threshold values, it is important that appropriate action is taken to control industrial discharges through a revised and rational regulatory framework.

The growing water imprint of Athens (Greece) throughout history

“…The first signs of the ecological degradation of Saronikos Gulf (the marine area in the south of Attica) begun as early as the 1960s when the development of the city peaked along with the extensive use of Piraeus Port (Christoulas et al 1994). However, the problem was localized with no significant hygienic effects that could alert the public or the decision makers.…”

Implementation of a Far-Field Water Quality Model for the Simulation of Trace Elements in an Eastern Mediterranean Coastal Embayment Receiving High Anthropogenic Pressure

“…The primary operation of the Psittalia wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in 1994 partially alleviated the pollution levels until 2007, when the plant became fully operational [17][18][19]. In the same time period, the industrial activities in the area of Elefsis started declining and, in parallel, industries gradually adopted measures for pollution reduction [20]. Since the mid-1980s, the Saronikos Gulf has been monitored frequently under the aegis of the projects 'National Monitoring Program for the Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean' (MED-POL) MAP/UNEP and 'Monitoring of the Saronikos Gulf ecosystem under the influence of the Psittalia sewage outflow' [21], implemented by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR).…”