Thessaloniki Kalochori Lagoon

Location: Kalochori

The Kalochori Lagoon is located 8 km from Thessaloniki and is part of the Axios Delta National Park. Although situated on the outskirts of a large, hence noisy, urban area, it hosts numerous birds and other animals throughout the year. Several flamingos often take refuge in the lagoon, finding food easily in its waters.
Currently, the Kalochori Lagoon covers an area of 2,260 acres and its bottom is 0.5 - 1 meter below sea level.

The creation of this wetland started in the mid-1960s and the reason behind it was soil subsidence; the over-pumping of waters from underground aquifers along with the loose soil composition resulted in the sediment of the soil. Before the diversion of the Axios (or Vardar) River in 1934, the area was full of marshes.

Between 1955 and 1980, the Thessaloniki Water Supply Company drilled many boreholes in the area of the Gallikos River to supply water to Thessaloniki, while many other boreholes were also drilled by private individuals at the same time. Because of the loose composition of the water table, the soil has retreated to a depth of up to 3 or 4 meters below sea level at various points of the lagoon. In the basin formed from that, the seawater that penetrated from underground and the rainwater from the adjacent Kalochori settlement created the lagoon.

The construction of the coastal dam to protect the settlement from possible flooding also contributed to the creation of the lagoon.