The Greek OAL is located in the prefecture of Sterea Ellada. It is the basin of Spercheios river, which springs from the mountainous parts of the catchment, mainly from Tymfristos mountain in the West, as well as Vardousia and Oiti mountain ranges in the Southwest and South respectively. The River is recharged by many streams of permanent and periodic flow and discharges in Maliakos Gulf. The steep slopes, which are present within approximately 2/3 of the total length of the river course, form a rather mountainous topography (streamy with crucial flooding peaks and very intense sediment yield). Only in the last downstream part of Sperchios course, the topography gradually changes into a lowland relief. The catchment area has an extent of approximately 1700 km2 and a mean altitude of 640 m with a maximum height of 2285 m. Half of the basin is plains and hills, with an elevation lower than 600 m, whereas a 20% is semi-mountain (600-900 m) and 30% mountain (above 900 m).

Region of Sterea Ellada

MOTIVATION FOR CHOICE ACCORDING TO HAZARD EXPOSURE AND ASSET VALUE
– Flooding, droughts
– 18 special environmental sites of the region (NATURA 2000)
– Special Protection Areas: Spercheios river, valley and delta
– Aquatic and coastal-marine ecosystems at risk
– World-renown hot springs and spa, essential for the economy of the region

POSSIBLE NATURE-BASED AND HYBRID SOLUTIONS
– Enhancement of water storage by maintaining the capacity of ditches, embanked reservoirs, channels
– Increasing soil infiltration, potentially reducing surface runoff, by free-draining soil
– Slowing water by increasing resistance to its flow, for example, by planting floodplain or riverside woods
– Reducing water flow connectivity by interrupting surface flows, by planting buffer strips of grass and trees

To learn more about the Greek OAL please visit the interactive page with detailed information regarding the hazards they face and how NBS is providing solutions