Title:
Environmental Impact Assessment (9/2018) study on the associated environmental impacts and risks from rainfall runoff on the marine environment (Limassol)

Duration:
ca 26 months  (May 2018 – July 2020)

Funded by:
Sewerage Board of Limassol – Amathous

Project Description:
The coastal front of Limassol is an important area for both locals and tourists with high intrinsic and economic value. Drainage of rainwater from various sources (rivers, streams, roads, sewage systems from pumping stations) may pose a potential threat to the degradation on the marine environment.

During rainfall there is an increase in the flow in the sewage network. In cases of a very heavy rainfall, the increase of the flow is so great that the existing infrastructure is incapable of managing the high volumes of water and the infrastructure network operates as a combined sewer system. In such extreme cases, there is a need for controlled and short-term overflow at specific points of the network for the protection of pumping stations and equipment in general.

The main purpose of this project was to examine the possibility and the extent at which the marine quality indicators are affected by the outflow, and the potential impacts and threats towards the marine environment. To this end, field expeditions and hydraulic calculations were carried out, microbiological and physico-chemical properties of the water were analysed, and a comprehensive assessment of the treats and impacts was made.