An area of outstanding natural beauty and part of the Natura network
Due to the structural geology of the mountain and the porous nature of its rock, water is neither easily stored nor abundant on Mt. Hymettus.
Because of the steepness of its slopes, during the rainy season, numerous torrents flow down the slopes of the mountain with the most important being Eridanus, Kakorema, Halidou and Doukas.
Eridanus, along with other rivers, flowed into the river Ilissos, which in turn flowed towards the western slopes of Mount Hymettus. Its riverbed has now been covered.
The spring in the area of Agia Eleousa of the Municipality of Papagos – Holargos is most likely the source of the river Ilissos.
There are also other springs on the lower ground of the mountain, found from Kaisariani to Kareas.
The most well-known is the spring of Kalopoula, which in ancient times was called ‘Kyllou Pira’ and the spring near the Monastery of Kaisariani, which, during the Ottoman rule in Greece, was named ‘Kots Basi’, ‘head of a ram’, due to the shape of its marble top. The water of these springs is non-potable.
Lake Vouliagmeni, located at the southern end of Mount Hymettus, near the sea, is a water body of great environmental importance as well.
It is a natural brackish lake with therapeutic properties. It is supplied with seawater from an underwater channel 50 to 100 meters deep and has a temperature of 22°C to 29°C, indicating that at some depth, it communicates with the South Aegean volcanic arc. The lake is also supplied with fresh water from a source at a depth of 17 metres. The lake and the sea communicate via an underground network of caves.
The area has been declared a natural monument and is listed as a protected site of the Natura 2000 Network with the site code GR3000006. Additionally, it is considered an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
An area of outstanding natural beauty and part of the Natura network
Due to the structural geology of the mountain and the porous nature of its rock, water is neither easily stored nor abundant on Mt. Hymettus.
Because of the steepness of its slopes, during the rainy season, numerous torrents flow down the slopes of the mountain with the most important being Eridanus, Kakorema, Halidou and Doukas.
Eridanus, along with other rivers, flowed into the river Ilissos, which in turn flowed towards the western slopes of Mount Hymettus. Its riverbed has now been covered.
The spring in the area of Agia Eleousa of the Municipality of Papagos – Holargos is most likely the source of the river Ilissos.
There are also other springs on the lower ground of the mountain, found from Kaisariani to Kareas.
The most well-known is the spring of Kalopoula, which in ancient times was called ‘Kyllou Pira’ and the spring near the Monastery of Kaisariani, which, during the Ottoman rule in Greece, was named ‘Kots Basi’, ‘head of a ram’, due to the shape of its marble top. The water of these springs is non-potable.
Lake Vouliagmeni, located at the southern end of Mount Hymettus, near the sea, is a water body of great environmental importance as well.
It is a natural brackish lake with therapeutic properties. It is supplied with seawater from an underwater channel 50 to 100 meters deep and has a temperature of 22°C to 29°C, indicating that at some depth, it communicates with the South Aegean volcanic arc. The lake is also supplied with fresh water from a source at a depth of 17 metres. The lake and the sea communicate via an underground network of caves.
The area has been declared a natural monument and is listed as a protected site of the Natura 2000 Network with the site code GR3000006. Additionally, it is considered an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.