Pilot implementation of EU policies in Acheloos river basin and coastal zone, Greece.Pilot implementation of EU policies in Acheloos river basin and coastal zone, Greece. Πλήρης Δημοσίευση σε Συνέδριο Conference Full Paper 2015-11-102004enThe environmental impact of EU policies aiming at protecting surface and ground waters were assessed in the Acheloos River Basin and coastal zone, Greece. The basin offered the possibility of studying the impact of EU policies on a multitude of aquatic ecosystems: four artificial and four natural lakes and a large estuary with important hydrotops (lagoons, coastal salt lacustrine and freshwater marshes) that belong to the NATURA 2000 or are protected by the RAMSAR Convention. A GIS-database was developed and was used to identify the environmental pressures and develop nutrient budgets for each sub-basin of the watershed to assess the relative contributions of nutrients from various land uses. The emissions based, mathematical model MONERIS was used to model the fate of nitrogen and phosphorous and their inputs to the coastal zone. The model CABARRET was used to assess the eutrophication impacts of these emissions to the coastal zone. Management scenarios were developed and modelling exercises were carried out to assess the impacts of management practices. Phosphorous loads were targeted for management since it was the limiting factor of phytoplankton growth controlling lake and coastal eutrophication. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/797-809International Symposium on Water Resources Management: Risks and Challenges for the 21st Century, European Water Resources Association Nikolaidis Nikolaos Νικολαιδης Νικολαος Nikolaos Skoulikidis Aristomenis P. Karageorgis E.W. Publications