Based on an hydrogeological survey which was held in the period 1997-2002, Central Evia was found to have huge infectious pollutant loads, such as “total nitrogen” and “total phosphorus”, which pose a risk to public health. The illegal throwing of infectious load in the region by stock and poultry farms and the deposition of hexavalent chromium in groundwater derived from nearby industries processing metallurgical derivatives are thought as the main culprits for this large-scale contamination. The main factor is considered the uncontrolled activity of Larco, a mining company for iron- nickel ore in the area. The Evian gulf has been found to have high accumulation of toxic waste, the soil to becontaminated by the throwing of flammable materials in the forest, and the landscape to be seriously destructed by the multiple trenches caused by open quarries. Locals are very much concerned about the state of their environment, inadequate water supplies of drinking water and decline in their residential areas.
