The management of the Athens water resource system: Methodology and implementation

After long periods of frequent water shortages, Athens, the capital of Greece, has developed a reliable, extensive and complex water resource system that includes surface water resources (four reservoirs), groundwater resources, 350 km of main aqueducts, 15 pumping stations and more than 100 boreholes. Since 2000, an advanced decision support tool is in operation for the management of the hydrosystem. Due to its complexity and peculiarities, the construction of this tool was not an easy task and required the development of new methodologies. Particularly for the hydrosystem operation, a methodology called parameterization-simulation-optimization was developed and tested. The methodology was integrated into a decision support tool, which includes data acquisition and software systems, and is used to support the management of the hydrosystem.