Erosion in Agia Barbara

[manu]

Ever wondered how the sand in Katelios beach became hard as a rock?


I reckon that kids playing in front of the restaurants in Katelios can't use the normal little beach plastic tools.
They need professional titanium spades and pickaxes if they want to build a sandcastle!

No big deal. Soon all the Western section of that beach will be 'developed' anyway, that is covered in cement. We're talking about something like 11,000 square meters. It's part of the port plan, that is supposed to revive tourism business in Katelios.
The central section of the beach will have a nice parade of boats going by, apart from what's probably the hardest sand you can find in Greece.
But what about the Eastern section, the beach of Agia Barbara?

Agia Barbara is quite a nice beach. It's very popular in the summer.
I have been coming to Katelios since 2002. Every year there seems to be more and more people, but less and less sand.
There is also a very clear erosion problem, which is definitely getting worse year after year as well.

I never saw much of it in the winter, but now I have a chance to go every now and then and see how it evolves.
Below is a picture on one clear day at the beginning of November (on the 8th). Looks pretty much what it looks like in the summer, only without sunbeds and people.

agiabarbaranovember.JPG (99.12 KiB) Viewed 549 times

I went to the beach a couple of weeks later (November 21st). A heavy machine (a digger or a JCB) had been 'working' on the beach. The sand was very hard in some parts and fluffy on others. Heavy tracks everywhere, canyons and pools. Sand very compacted in many places. No pebbles visible. It almost looked like they were trying to get rid of the rocks on the beach with a machine. I know they do it in the spring just before the season starts, to present the beach all nice and sandy to tourists. I don't think they could do it in November though. What would the point be?
Below are some pictures.

agiabarbaramess.JPG (116.37 KiB) Viewed 547 times

agiabarbaramess2.JPG (112.18 KiB) Viewed 547 times

In the following days strong Ostria wind was beating the southern shores of Kefalonia. The erosion problem at the back of the beach got visibly worse. The bushes on top, as big as they are, started falling down on the beach in pieces. The back wall and its rocks got eroded more and more to end up on the beach as well. You can see it in these pictures from the two days following the machine working on the beach. (November 22nd and 23rd).

agiabarbaraerosion22novedit.JPG (87.39 KiB) Viewed 545 times

Was the aggravation in the erosion problem on Agia Barbara caused by the weather? Were the machine works responsible? Is it a combination of the two? What kind of effect on the beach do heavy machines driving and doing works on it a few times a year? Do we know?
Two weeks later, most of the bushes right at the back of the shore are falling down, dying with their roots exposed and in pieces. Losing the vegetation is not jsut bad in itself, it means that there is nothing, no roots to prevent the wall at the back of the shore from completely collapsing.

It looks like the stone circles that were built to 'improve' the beach a couple of years ago not so far from the edge will also collapse quite soon.
The trees are at risk as well. And the beach, at the moment, is completely covered in rocks.
Tide might change and take them away. Or a machine.

agiabarbarabushes6dec.JPG (104.21 KiB) Viewed 547 times

agiabarbarabushcloseup6dec.JPG (116.43 KiB) Viewed 545 times

Now I have to ask this question: when the local authorities send heavy machines to do works on the beach (I'm talking in general), do they know what they are doing? Do they evaluate the possible consequences? Do they look at what effects it's going to have?

Ever been down to Koroni? You know that road that cuts the mountain opposite the road you drive down on? What happened there? How long has it been usable? Did they have a plan when they opened it? Or did they just make a big new work of cutting all the side of the hill, only to leave it in all hurry just after it was ready because it collapsed? Possibly worsening the erosion problem on Koroni beach as well?

I don't know what's going to happen on Agia Barbara.
Some researchers at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research pose similar questions about the port in Katelios.
Has it been properly planned? Or is it another case of 'improve' first, think later?

[beccotrat]

Hi guys!

We spoke on the problem of erosion about one years ago, in a meeting whit the english people of Katelios, and I Think this is on of the bigger problem for the Tourism in Katelios. I don't know... do you like a beach such as agia barbara? Ore the beach in front of the restaurant? Personally no. But I think there is the danger of a massal erosion in Mounda too. In Katelios it is obvous that something alterate the balance of the sand of he beach. In a normal beach, sand is erosed by water and is supply from another sand transported by current. If you stop the incoming of sand, you kill the beach, becouse there is only erosion, and the sand isn't supply. So, I think it is interesting monitoring how much sand it is deposit over current to the new port, and study the way of the current in the port. When I was in Katelios I've got the occasion of follow the trip of a dead turtle. The first time it was observed near cape Katelios, after, it was observed one hundred meter out from the beach bar, later not far from the rocks between Koroni and Mouda, and arrive on the beach near the Hotel in Mouda. And I observed this trip not only one time.
Now, shure the use of the cars influence the structure of the beach and employed the erosion, and this is one face of the problem, and an important face, becouse you accelerate the process of lose of the beach. It is obvius that the human working had destroy the beach in katelios, and that the new port employed the effect. I worried that agia barbara coming in erosion for many meters too but the real problem now it is the future of mounda. And we can only waiting.