Yi-ah Su Kriti (Hello Crete)!

7.9.10

In about 48 hours I will be boarding the plane to Greece (I will go to Katie and Pats wedding first!). I'm headed to the prefecture of Lasithi on the Island of Crete which is just south of the mainland (and the city of Athens) for three weeks. I will be staying in the city of Neapolis which is about a 20 minute drive from the coast. Despite the hot weather, I'm looking forward to meeting other scientists there, seeing the ancient ruins, trying the food, and learning a little bit about their agriculture.

I've been reading quite a few scientific papers about water resource issues in Crete and it seems that shortages are mainly due to a combinations of factors. Beginning in the 1980's Greece transitioned from water deficient olive tree irrigation methods to regular irrigation and this has increased water use considerably throughout the country. One paper wrote in 2000 (Croke et al.) mentioned a 20 m drop in groundwater levels of the Messara Valley in south central Crete mainly due to increased water well pumping for agricultural irrigation. What seems to compounds this issue is the fact that the tourist season overlaps with the planting season. Meaning, water demand is highest in the middle of the summer (June -August), and unfortunately for the groundwater supplies, this is also the driest period of the year.

There have also been many studies focusing on the use of recycled wastewater for irrigation purposes. While this may be beneficial in terms of reducing the amount of water pumped up from groundwater well, it can also be harmful to human health if the water is not treated properly. I also find it interesting that most of the papers I have read, have failed to address the presence of synthetic man-made compounds in the recycled wastewater. For example, compounds such as brominated flame retardents are mixed into plastics to prevent them from catching on fire. These compounds have found their way in to treated sewage sludge (i.e. biosolids) which is used across the United States as a fertilizer. There are also various pharmaceuticals that we flush down the toilet and the sink. These eventually make their wait to the wastewater treatment plant. Will secondary or thertiary wastewater treatment facilities be able toremove these compounds from the recycled wastewater before they are sprayed on food? What are the consequences of us eating these compounds?

For now the use of recycled wastewater doesn't seem to be taking hold; many farmers in Crete use fresh groundwater to irrigate their olive trees. There was also a study (Menegaki 2007) surveying farmer and consumer perceptions of recycled wastewater irrigation on olive trees. Results from the study show that there was a disconnect between what the farmers were willing to pay for the water and what the customers were willing to pay for the olive oil. Thus, it is very important to consider attitudes of both parties in order to determine whether the adoption of new practices will be beneficial. If customers aren't willing to take the risk to buy a product, should the farmer even bother offering it?

But besides all of this nerdy stuff, I'm really looking forward to exploring Crete! I especially hope that we will have a chance to go to the ancient city of Knossos. Knossos was suspected to be the political and cultural center of the ancient Minoan civilization during the Bronze Age. I'm interested in seeing some of the ancient urban stormwater sewer architecture. I've read that the Knossos Palace may have been one of the first cites in the world to have flushable toilets! Who would've known that the ancient Greek civilizations were so advanced in terms of their water resource management. Perhaps, reverting back to some of these 'tried and true' methods will help the modern day citizens of Crete?

Stormwater Canal in Knossos
(credit: http://www.fun2fly.com/Blog%20photos/knossos%20drainage.jpg)

Picture of Neapolis
(credit: http://mediaserver.property-abroad.com/show-image.aspx?id=324886&)

Picture of Neapolis
(credit: http://www2.forthnet.gr/internetcity/neapoli/pictures/neapoli1.jpg)