Environmental inspectors carried out a new on-site inspection yesterday (7/9) at the Patmos sewage treatment plant, essentially confirming the earlier inspection by the South Aegean Regional Authority, which had found that the facility had ceased operating without the state being informed.

It is now only a matter of time before a heavy fine is imposed on the Municipality of Patmos for its failure to address the issue, which has effectively been discharging untreated sewage into the sea for at least six weeks.

According to Kathimerini, the European Commission has already been informed about the situation on the island since 2023 and has included the case in Greece’s EU conviction for urban wastewater, for which the country faces fines every six months.

It should be recalled that the South Aegean Regional Environment Department visited the island on August 18 following a Coast Guard report of sewage in the sea and citizen complaints about foul odors, and has already submitted its preliminary findings. During that inspection, the municipal representative present admitted that the facility had been out of operation for a month and a half, meaning that untreated sewage had indeed been flowing into the sea.

The initial explanations attribute the malfunction to high salinity in the wastewater entering the plant, which damaged the treatment membranes. The high salinity is reportedly due to the sewage network being lower than sea level, allowing seawater infiltration, according to the regional team’s report.

The shutdown of the sewage treatment facility had not been reported to the Ministry of Environment, and once the problem is officially confirmed, a significant fine will be imposed. Environmental inspectors, continuing the supplementary on-site investigation, will examine the facility’s operating methods and issues, and in turn impose an additional fine on the Municipality.

It is almost farcical that in the Ministry of Environment’s digital platform, the facility is still listed as fully operational and compliant with EU legislation since 2020. Clearly, apart from everything else, the Municipality has been submitting false data to the Ministry regarding the plant’s functioning.