One of the first things worth knowing about Aegina is that the island has almost no fresh water of its own. The wells that once served the villages turned brackish decades ago, drawn down faster than the winter rains could refill them. Nearly everything that reaches your tap has been brought in from the mainland, and in a dry summer that supply line is one of the busiest and most important things on the island.
For years the water came by sea. Tanker ships loaded up on the coast near Piraeus, crossed the Saronic Gulf, and pumped their cargo into holding tanks at the port, from where it was piped out to homes and businesses. It is a slow and costly way to keep an island running, and it becomes harder every July and August, when the resident population of around thirteen thousand swells several times over with visitors and returning families, all of them showering, cooking, and watering gardens at once.
To fix the problem for good, a pipeline was laid along the seabed from Attica, running roughly fourteen kilometres and reaching depths of about ninety metres. The project cost in the region of twenty-three million euros and was meant to give Aegina a steady, modern supply and finally retire the tanker fleet. When it works, it does exactly that.
The catch is that it has not always worked. Since it opened, the pipeline has suffered a run of breakdowns, and each failure has sent the island straight back to the old routine of tanker deliveries, bottled-water distribution, and emergency help from the regional authority and the navy. Locals have learned to take it in their stride, but these episodes are a reminder of how fine the margins are here, especially at the height of the season when demand peaks.
None of this should put you off visiting, but a little awareness goes a long way. Most islanders do not drink the tap water, which is hard and often slightly saline, so stick to bottled water or a refill from a source you trust. Keep showers short, turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, and do not be surprised if your host asks you to go easy on the water. It is not stinginess, it is simply how a small island with no river of its own gets through a hot Greek summer.
Photo: George E. Koronaios / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)