Hydrologic modeling of the Aliakmon River in Greece using HEC–HMS and open data

In recent years, the sharp increase in demand for fresh water and climate change, especially in the Mediterranean region, have increased the need for effective tools that can provide management alternatives enabling the more efficient use of available water resources. Hydrologic models which simulate the rainfall–runoff process are crucial for the formulation of such management tools and can be used to evaluate the performance of systems and, therefore, to formulate alternative management strategies that can lead to more efficient performance. In this paper, an attempt is made to form a hydrologic model with the aim of using it as a basis for the formulation of management tools for the Aliakmon River in Greece. This model could be useful for formulating sustainable production and consumption patterns related to the use of Aliakmon River water. The model is built in HEC–HMS using data that are freely available online. The results indicate that the model shows excellent performance in terms of simulating the changes that occur in the flow regime of the studied river, and can therefore can be used as a basis for the formulation of management tools for the reservoirs present on the river, energy production, water supply, as well as flood forecasting.