The lake of Agia
Written by
Eftihia Marinaki
Giannis Botonakis
Dimitris Maragoudakis
Manolis Polianagnostakis
6th grade students
The lake of Agia is an artificial lake, which is located northwest of Crete, next to the village Agia, approximately 10km west of the city of Chania, and 5km away from the coast. It was constructed in 1927-28 to utilize the aquatic potential of the area in order to produce energy. The city of Chania depends on it for water supply and so does the whole area for irrigation. Its impact on the region's economy is great. 
Excavations in the area bear witnessto the fact that the region has been inhabited since the Minoan Years. In the nearby slopes, remains of villages and fortifications go back to the prehistoric era. The village of Agia is considered to have been inhabited since the Arab occupation, while it is possibly named after the Arab word “Ahia”, which means “water”. The sprigs' waters have played an important role in the progress of the local people. Historically, apart from water supplying and irrigation the waters have been used to motivate windmills, which were constructed to produce olive oil and flour.
Discussions for the development of the waters for energy production began at the beginning of the 20th century. The idea came into being in 1928-29 with the construction of the dam and the hydroelectric power station, which functions until nowadays. As a matter of fact, it is the second power station ever built in Greece. Using the waters for water supply began just before the burst of World War II. Agia's hydro topic system is a complicated wetland, comprised of the lake, which is to some extent artificial, the springs and the river Ksecolomenos. It constitutes part of a broader area, the river of Platania until its mouth in the Cretan Sea. The wetland has remarkable flora and fauna; some flora species are unique and very sparse in Crete, while some birds that inhabit the lake temporarily, are endangered species globally protected. 
The lake's image changes with the seasons. During winter the rainfalls fill up the lake with clear water, whereas many migrating birds from North Europe (swans, wild ducks, grebes) seek refuge in the region. During spring the ecotope's micro-flora increases. Aquatic birds that inhabit the lake during winter depart, while other birds such as herons arrive. In summer the water gradually decreases and mud areas appear in the ground. These conditions favor the presence of birds such as coots, grebes and wood sandpipers. Water reduction causes many fish and snail species to be extinguished. Finally in autumn the water level increases and the arrival of the first migrating birds beautifies the scenery.
The lake must be protected against any kind of pollution as it represents an important refuge for many aquatic animals, especially birds. Wetlands are becoming sparse thus many species are becoming endangered. That is why Agia's wetland is recorded in many scientific journals as a very important ecotope, and is integrated in the European network “natura 2000”.
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