Roles and Responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities of the involved bodies

• Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR): Monitoring (sampling and analysis) of the biological, hydromorphological and general physico-chemical parameters (transparency, temperature, dissolved oxygen, BOD, conductivity, pH value, alkalinity, nutrients) in rivers, transitional and coastal waters, as well as sampling for chemical parameters (priority substances and specific pollutants) in transitional and coastal waters (and shipping samples to the General Chemical State Laboratory for analysis).
• Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (EKBY): Monitoring (sampling and analysis) of the biological, hydromorphological and general physico-chemical parameters in lakes, as well as sampling for chemical parameters in lakes (and shipping samples to the General Chemical State Laboratory for analysis).
• General Chemical State Laboratory (GCSL): Analysis of chemical parameters (priority substances and specific pollutants) in all surface waters (rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal). The chemical parameters to be monitored and their monitoring frequency depend on the type of pressures that the system is subject to and have been defined for each station separately.
• Land Reclamation Institute (LRI): Sampling of chemical parameters in rivers (and shipping samples to the General Chemical State Laboratory for analysis) and systematic monitoring of the discharge in approximately 50 river stations.
• Municipal Water and Sewerage Company of Larissa (DEYAL): Sampling chemical parameters in rivers and lakes (and shipping samples to the General Chemical State Laboratory for analysis) only for the Water District of Thessaly.
• Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration and Studies (NCSD-EKBAA/IGMEM): Monitoring (sampling and analysis)) of all parameters (quality, pesticides and level) in groundwater (the parameters to be monitored have been identified in detail for each station).

Generally, while there is only one body responsible for monitoring groundwater (IGMEM), there are five bodies involved in monitoring surface water and close co-operation between them is of course required.

The responsibilities for surface water stations are shown in the following table:

The aforementioned bodies will submit to the Special Secretariat for Water, the following:

1. The raw monitoring data, in hardcopy and digital format, which will be recorded in a special form that will be configured by the Special Secretariat of Water
2. Data in appropriate processed format, as required to fully meet the country's obligations, with regard to the submission of such data to the Environmental Environment Agency (EEA), according to the requirements and standards that are  determined by EEA
3. Annual evaluation reports which will include as a minimum: a brief description of the water status (in relation to the monitoring parameters) in every Water District of the country, recording of the areas where the environmental quality standards/threshold maximum values ​​for each monitoring parameter have been exceeded and water status classification maps in accordance with Annex V of the Directive 2000/60/EC.