An island under water stress
Paros is a semi-arid Mediterranean island with structurally limited freshwater resources. Its groundwater tables are sometimes less than 40 centimeters above sea level, and the summer population multiplies the demand for water several times over on an already fragile infrastructure. The municipal water authority (ΔΕΥΑΠ) produces between 2.5 and 2.6 million m³ of drinking water per year, increasingly relying on desalination—a costly and energy-intensive technology.
This document follows a December 2025 FoPA report on water supply management. This time, it addresses a source of avoidable and poorly regulated demand: private swimming pools.
I) The Legal Problem: “Ghost Pools”
The 2012 Paros General Urban Plan explicitly prohibits swimming pools in out-of-plan areas for residences. However, systematic circumvention of these regulations has been documented: hundreds of pools are registered under false designations—“decorative water features” or “agricultural reservoirs”—to avoid building permits and footprint calculations.
An independent audit using satellite imagery conducted by DigitalParos identified more than 1,480 swimming pools on Paros and 287 on Antiparos, far exceeding official figures. In some areas, for every declared pool, up to three “ghost” pools actually exist.
II) Environmental impact: water, chemicals, noise
- Water consumption: A typical 40 m² private swimming pool consumes between 17,500 and 26,700 liters of water per summer season (90 days), with a median estimate of approximately 22,000 liters. This water is drawn entirely during the summer, at the peak of water stress, for purely recreational purposes. Across the island, the estimated 500 to 1,500 pools represent a total seasonal consumption of 11,000 to 33,000 m³—the equivalent of the annual consumption of 200 to 660 households.
- On soil and marine quality: the chemicals used for pool maintenance (chlorine, algaecides, pH adjusters) seep into the soil during draining and rinsing, reach the groundwater, and, in coastal areas, the sea. On an island whose economy depends on the quality of its marine environment, this cumulative impact is far from negligible.
- On local residents: pumps and filtration systems run 8 to 12 hours a day, generating continuous low-frequency noise. In the densely populated traditional villages of Paros, this noise pollution has a lasting impact on neighbors’ quality of life—an aspect rarely mentioned in public debate.
- On hotels: the proliferation of private pools per room or suite represents an additional level of environmental irresponsibility. A hotel with 20 private pools generates a water usage impact equivalent to that of an entire residential neighborhood, for a guest experience that a single well-designed communal pool could just as easily provide.
III) The technical solution: rainwater is sufficient
FoPA points out that a typical villa in Paros (with a 150 m² roof) can collect up to 42,000 liters of rainwater per year, thanks to a standard collection system costing between €2,000 and €5,000. This volume exceeds the 22,000 liters needed to operate a swimming pool for a year, with a surplus that can be used for irrigation. There is therefore no technical justification for a swimming pool to draw on the drinking water supply. The recycling of graywater (from showers and sinks) can supplement this system for garden irrigation.
IV) The Proposed Regulatory Framework
FoPA proposes a set of concrete measures, structured across several levels:
a) For new swimming pools:
- Maximum surface area of 1/10 of the lot, capped at 50 m² for residential properties
- Ban on private swimming pools in hotels
- Written consent from neighbors within a 25-meter radius
- Mandatory report by a certified engineer on water management
- Ban on forest land or land previously affected by wildfires
b) For existing unreported pools, a five-step regularization process is proposed: a one-time fine calculated based on the assessed value, an annual maintenance fee (50% of the initial fine until regularization is completed), regularization that extinguishes the fee, a permanent environmental contribution (reduced by up to 75% if water management equipment is installed), and—for recalcitrant owners after three years—a demolition order.
c) An annual environmental contribution applies to all swimming pools, with progressive reductions based on the level of water management infrastructure (rainwater harvesting, graywater recycling, chemical-free treatment).
V) Enforcement: DEYAP as the enforcement arm
FoPA proposes entrusting the enforcement of this framework to the municipal water authority (DEYAP), which already has real-time consumption data for each customer. Abnormally high consumption in the summer is a direct statistical indicator of an unmanaged swimming pool, detectable without a physical inspection.
DEYAP also has a direct interest in reducing discretionary demand, as every liter saved alleviates pressure on an already overburdened desalination system.
Periodic certification of water management systems is also proposed for all DEYAP customers—every two years for properties with swimming pools, every five years for ordinary residences, and annually for hotels.
In summary
FoPA is not calling for a ban on swimming pools, but for clear and structured accountability on the part of their owners. Rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, reasonable size limits, and a permanent environmental contribution are, according to the association, the foundations of a viable coexistence between luxury tourism and the island’s ecological resilience. The message is clear: a swimming pool in Paros in 2026 should symbolize a responsible way of life here, not an ability to consume without limit.
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