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Glaykos

COUNTY: Achaea MUNICIPALITY: Patras

Clouds
21.7ºC

Length

15 - 30

Activities

Hiking

TL;DR

A river that passes through Patras, and is the source of electricity and fresh water for many surrounding areas.

Glaykos' riverhead is located on Panachaiko mountain [ http://peloponnisossearch.com ]. A short distance from its estuary to the gulf of Patra (in the area of Ities, close to the south port of the Achaian capital), the river flows through the valley of the same name. The torrents of Begoulaki, Saravali, Romanos, Egkylados and Laleiko are all tributaries of Glaykos. Its current name is thought to be an alteration of the name “Leyka”, which is what it was called in the 18th century.

There have been many projects aimed at “taming” and utilizing the river, such as the construction of a dam and a man-made lake, as well as the erection of a hydro-electic power plant located at “Kournabela” in the village of Palio Souli, part of a plan to provide electricity to the Achaian capital. The written history of the power plant is kept at a renovated two-floor building (where the manager and the staff used to reside in, in the past), which is now utilized as a museum. Parts of the surface-level bodies of water are still used to this day, to partly provide fresh water to the city, as well as the irrigation of its south and eastern crops, at the areas of Eglykada, Perivola, Saravali, and others.

The intensity of the river's flow makes it especially dangerous during the winter, a fact that has lead to the necessary construction and reinforcement of concrete walls around it. Lastly, two freeways have been built in the river's riparian areas, which connect the nearby beltway to the new port.