SOS
Stavros

The Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Company of Chania (DEYACH) has decided to construct a raw sewage pumping station approximately 20 meters from the winter shoreline of Pachia Ammos in Stavros Akrotiri. This area is ecologically sensitive and important. Pachia Ammos is a beach of rare natural beauty, comparable to the iconic beaches of Falassarna and Balos, and is located next to the world-famous Zorba Beach, where the film of the same name was shot in 1964. In 2014, the 50th anniversary of the creation of the award-winning film was celebrated at Pachia Ammos, following the wish of the cinematographer Walter Lassally, who had been declared an honorary citizen of Chania and lived in Stavros.

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Pachia Ammos is protected as a bathing beach and has been registered in the National Bathing Water Registry in accordance with Directive 2000/60. Analyses of water samples from the area consistently demonstrate that the waters are of excellent quality. The area of Stavros in Akrotiri, Chania, was designated in 1973 as a landscape of particular natural beauty requiring special state protection (Government Gazette 1242/B/1973). However, this has not been effectively implemented in practice, as in recent decades the area’s distinctive environmental characteristics have not been systematically recorded or studied.

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The mountainous area of Stavros is included within the Akrotiri Wildlife Refuge. The northern and eastern parts of Akrotiri, including the imposing mountain where scenes from the film Zorba were shot, were proposed for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network in the 1990s. This request was rejected without justification, for reasons that were not disclosed to the public. The Stavros Environmental Association (SEA), as well as the Ecological Initiative of Chania, have submitted requests for its inclusion in the Natura 2000 network, without having received a response.

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The fact that the protected species of sea turtle Caretta caretta has been nesting on beaches in the area for decades renders these beaches protected areas. The Natural History Museum of Crete recognizes Pachia Ammos as a nesting site for Caretta caretta. On the seabed of the area lie valuable Posidonia seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica), which are among the main producers of oxygen on Earth, especially now that forests have been significantly reduced. These meadows constitute a habitat of high conservation priority throughout the territories of EU Member States.

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The Posidonia seagrass meadows of Stavros have been identified through field surveys conducted by specialist scientists from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR). According to HCMR, among the most significant threats to Posidonia meadows in Greece are all forms of pollution (inorganic, organic, chemical, thermal, etc.), any activity that alters the clarity and salinity of the water column or the hydrological regime of the coastal zone, as well as any kind of mechanical disturbance of the seabed.

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At Pachia Ammos, the last remaining sand dunes in the northern part of Crete are also found, hosting the endangered sea daffodil (Pancratium maritimum). The beach lies within an aerial corridor used by migratory birds. The Natural History Museum of Crete has noted that, particularly with regard to the avifaunal diversity of Chania and Crete in general, the area of Stavros Akrotiri is considered especially important. In particular, the dune area, together with the wetland section and the watercourses, constitutes habitats of high significance, providing valuable ecosystem services of great ecological, aesthetic, and consequently economic value.

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Right next to the beach, and almost adjacent to the site where the untreated sewage pumping station is being constructed, begins the path leading to the ancient aeolianite quarry. Recently, one of the few fossilized forests in Greece was discovered in Stavros, featuring fossilized rhizoliths of rare paleontological interest within extensive aeolianite formations in the area of the ancient quarry.

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Despite strong reactions from residents and visitors, and despite the lack of public information and consultation regarding the siting of this specific untreated sewage pumping station, as well as the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for this location, construction works began in December 2022, with the aim of completion by the end of 2024. Strong opposition, legal actions, and violations related to the disposal and management of pumped waters during the construction works led to significant delays, with the result that the project has still not been completed to date.

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A decision by the Coordinating Office for the Remediation of Environmental Damage (SYGAPEZ) and the General Directorate of the Body of Inspectors and Auditors of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Decision No. 68164653Π8-ΜΗΣ) clearly records two violations by DEYACH in May and June 2025, concerning the disposal and management of pumped waters during the construction works of pumping station A44.

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The uncontrolled discharge of construction waste (sediment) has caused immediate alteration and modification of the natural morphology of the shoreline and the coastal zone, while the water turbidity observed for several days in February 2026 posed a threat to the protected Posidonia seagrass meadows located on the seabed of Pachia Ammos. During the construction works, in addition to the dumping of construction waste into the sea and along the shore, cement slurry was also discharged into both the sea and the shore in March 2026, forcing the authorities to proceed with cleanup operations.

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The long-standing struggle has already led to a major victory: the original design of the project by DEYACH included sewage overflow pipelines discharging directly into the sea. Following strong public reactions, these pipelines were removed from the project design and replaced with an overflow storage tank.

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At the same time, it was decided to cancel the sewage network that had been planned to be constructed along the entire frontage of Pachia Ammos within the shoreline zone. The fact that significant erosion has been observed on the eastern side of the beach over the past 10 years further heightens concerns regarding the risks associated with constructing an untreated sewage pumping station at this location.

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A strong opposition movement has now emerged, with more than 72,500 signatures collected against the construction of the pumping station at Pachia Ammos. Over 30 environmental organizations and groups have expressed their support for the just cause of residents and visitors, including some of the largest environmental organizations in Greece. The construction works are being carried out on property that is indisputably owned by the Greek State, without any concession having been granted to DEYACH for its use for the execution of this specific project.

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The final siting of the pumping station was decided in September 2022, just two months before the commencement of works, and differs substantially from the originally planned location. Furthermore, it is not being carried out on a municipal road, as falsely claimed by DEYACH. In the technical report, the project was described as a structure with a surface area of 80 sq.m. and a maximum depth of 8 meters; however, based on current data, it in fact involves an installation of at least 134 sq.m. and a depth exceeding 12 meters.

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The Stavros Environmental Association (SEA) and local residents have filed appeals before the Council of State (Supreme Administrative Court) seeking the suspension and annulment of the project, as well as actions before local courts. The request before the Council of State was rejected on procedural grounds rather than on the merits of the case. The court decisions issued so far are based, among other things, on documents from the Public Property Service and the Region of Crete, which do not reflect the full range of issues that should have been examined for the environmental licensing of such a project. In a technical report by the Public Property Service, prepared following a prosecutor’s order, it is stated that “within the public shoreline zone, no construction works were identified,” omitting to clarify whether any construction works were identified elsewhere, and if so, where and on whose property. A criminal complaint has been filed regarding these actions, and a decision is pending. In February 2026, an appeal was lodged against the court decision rejecting the lawsuit filed by the Association, and this appeal has not yet been heard.

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At the same time, a number of other significant actions are underway. Since the summer of 2025, the Stavros Environmental Association (SEA), together with other local associations and citizen groups, has called on the competent authorities to examine the longstanding request to relocate the pumping station, on the grounds of public health and environmental protection, to a sustainable site away from the beach. This should be based on an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and carried out in consultation with residents, as required under the Aarhus Convention. Any implementation of the project with deficiencies, at an unsuitable location, without proper studies and oversight, will fail, create problems such as overflows, odors, and environmental degradation, and will result in a waste of taxpayers’ money.

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