Heavy Rains Cause Malfunctions at Israeli Desalination Plants, Prompting Water Restrictions

Severe rainfall in Israel has led to significant technical malfunctions at several major desalination plants across the country, disrupting the national water supply. Five out of six national desalination facilities are currently not operating correctly due to severe turbidity in seawater, which began over the weekend and is moving north. This turbidity is believed to be linked to rough seas in the Eastern Mediterranean, possibly caused by sediment flows from the Nile River.

The disruptions are already impacting agricultural areas, with farmers concerned about crop damage and daily operations. The Eshkol Regional Council has issued an urgent directive to all farmers and gardeners in its jurisdiction, calling for an immediate reduction in the use of fresh water for agriculture and gardening. They are advised to switch to recycled wastewater where possible until the national system stabilizes.

Yechiel Lipschitz, Director of the Water Authority, explained that the plants cannot filter the highly turbid water, comparing the situation to stirring up mud at the bottom of a pool. The Water Authority is taking samples at sea to analyze the composition of the turbid material. While southern communities and farmers relying on desalinated and treated wastewater are most affected, the north is experiencing relative stability due to the Sea of Galilee reservoirs and local drilling.

Mekorot, the national water company, has been instructed to immediately increase production from all available sources and drillings to compensate for the shortfall from the private desalination plants. Water Authority officials are closely monitoring water quality and are prepared for various scenarios. The current assessment is that some facilities may resume normal operations within hours as the sediment settles and the seawater clears, with hopes of resolving the crisis quickly without affecting domestic supply.