Summary

On September 14, 2026, the Water Directorate of the Decentralised Administration of Crete published a study proposing formal protection zones around 27 water intake points across Apokoronas, including the Armenoi and Stylos springs and Lake Kournas. A strict no-activity buffer of between 4 and 20 metres will be established around each water source, with the exact boundaries to be finalised after public input. Residents, landowners, and local organisations are urged to submit their comments before the October 23, 2026 deadline.

Apokoronas moves to formally protect its springs and groundwater

The springs, wells, and underground water sources of Apokoronas have sustained the area's communities for centuries. Now, for the first time, the authorities are drawing firm legal boundaries to keep them safe — and local residents have a direct say in how those boundaries are drawn.

What is happening?

On September 14, 2026, the Water Directorate of the Decentralised Administration of Crete published a detailed study proposing protection zones around the municipality's water intake points. A total of 27 locations in Apokoronas were assessed, including:

The Armenoi Springs

The Stylos Springs

Lake Kournas

Various boreholes across the municipality

The zones proposed in the study are currently preliminary. Their final form will be determined once all public submissions have been reviewed.

What does a protection zone mean in practice?

Around every water intake point, a Zone I — a total exclusion zone — will be established. Within this zone, no activity is permitted other than the operation and maintenance of the water infrastructure itself. The size of each zone will vary depending on local conditions:

Inner buffer: 4 to 10 metres around the intake structure

Outer limit: 10 to 20 metres, in line with the standard applied across Crete

The study acknowledges that many water points are located inside villages or have already had buildings and private land established right next to them. In those cases, existing rights and uses will be taken into account, but the legal demarcation of the exclusion zone must still be established first. After that, water providers will be responsible for implementing the required measures within a reasonable timeframe set by the authorities.

The Armenoi Springs — a priority site

The Armenoi Springs are highlighted as a location of particular natural, historical, and cultural importance. The municipality says it is committed not only to protecting the springs but to enhancing and promoting them — carefully and with a long-term vision.

What has the municipality already done?

Apokoronas municipality says it has been working on this for some time: permits for water intakes have been obtained, funding has been secured, and projects for rational water management are already under way. The current protection zone study is part of that broader, ongoing plan.

How to participate — deadline October 23, 2026

All residents, landowners, businesses, and local organisations are encouraged to take part in the public consultation. The municipality stresses that informed, broad participation is essential to getting the protection zones right.

Consultation deadline: October 23, 2026

How to participate: via the Decentralised Administration of Crete portal

The waters of Apokoronas are our life! We protect the Armenoi Springs!

September 17, 2026, 11:16 AM

Apokoronas has a unique natural wealth — our springs, our groundwater, and our water intake points are our life, our history, and the legacy we are obliged to leave to our children.

On September 14, 2026, the Water Directorate of the Decentralised Administration of Crete published the study for the detailed delineation of the protection zones of the water intake points. For the Municipality of Apokoronas, 27 points were examined, among them the Armenoi and Stylos Springs, Lake Kournas, and our boreholes.

The consultation will last until October 23, 2026. The provisionally proposed protection zones aim to protect our water from activities and pollution that may threaten it — their final form will be determined after the evaluation of the observations and proposals that will be submitted.

The Municipality of Apokoronas, with the current Municipal Authority, has already paved the way — through the licensing of water intakes, the securing of funding, and the implementation of rational water management projects, we proceed with planning and responsibility; our plan for the waters of Apokoronas is advancing exactly as we have defined it. The same applies to the Armenoi Springs, a place of particular natural, historical, and cultural value, which we want to protect and promote with respect and perspective — they are characterised as a Zone of complete prohibition and are initially defined at 10 to 20 m perimetrically around the water intake structure, as applies to all water intake points of the Region of Crete, with a committed area of 4 m to 10 m radius perimetrically, depending on local conditions taking into account the already established situation, and all activity beyond the necessary works for the operation and maintenance of the water intake structures will be prohibited.

Also, as stated in the consultation documents, there are many cases of water points located within settlements, as well as others that have received interventions literally on top of and next to the source head, or/and at the emergence point. These are, on a case-by-case basis, buildings and private spaces with various uses and, generally, longstanding easements and rights. In all these cases, it is imperative that the institutionalisation of Zone I be carried out first, in order to legally define the perimeter area of the prohibitions.

As stated, implementation is a function of the local problems and particularities of each location and, as such, it is not feasible to propose general application measures in the present study. The regulatory act to be issued will establish the necessity of institutionalising Zone I, will designate the Water Providers as responsible for its implementation, and will impose a reasonable deadline for implementation. Implementation will be carried out under the responsibility of the Providers according to local conditions.

With a sense of responsibility we proceed with our planning and call on all residents and local bodies to be informed and to participate in the public consultation — knowledge, dialogue, and the participation of all are necessary to protect our water wealth. The waters of Apokoronas belong to our land and to the generations to come, and it is our responsibility to hand them over protected.

Participation in the Public Consultation