Water Authority Chief Defends Response to Algae Crisis, Cites '8 Out of 10' Performance

Israel's Water Authority is facing scrutiny following a severe algae bloom that disrupted operations at several desalination plants. While the Energy Ministry and Water Authority initially issued statements suggesting a swift resolution and stable water supply, the reality was more complex. Only one of the five affected desalination plants was operating at full capacity, with others functioning at half capacity, indicating the crisis caught authorities off guard.

The immediate impact was felt most acutely by farmers, whose fields suffered from lack of irrigation for extended periods. Fishermen in the Ashkelon area and further south were also affected, facing a fishing ban until Monday as a precautionary measure after chemicals were used to combat the algae. The Ministry of Health stated the ban was a precaution pending monitoring results.

Recordings from early in the crisis revealed a sense of panic among Water Authority officials, with one emergency department manager heard praying for the algae to subside and admitting they didn't understand the phenomenon, which hadn't been seen in Israel for 30 years. This contrasts sharply with current official statements of stability.

Yechiel Lipschitz, Director of the Water Authority, defended the system's performance, arguing that the minimal disruption to drinking water supply, aside from a specific issue for farmers in the Negev, demonstrated its resilience. He acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the event, where all five plants were simultaneously affected, a situation not seen in the 30 years of sea monitoring or the 21 years of desalination plant operation.

Lipschitz pushed back against the notion that the authority was unprepared, stating they were ready for significant desalination plant shutdowns. He attributed the initial confusion to the unique scale of the event, which differed from routine, intermittent plant outages. Regarding the use of algae-killing chemicals, Lipschitz explained that a company, Blue Green, proposed the method, and a multi-ministry committee reviewed its safety. He asserted that the decision to spray was made only after environmental and health ministries confirmed the chemicals were non-toxic and posed no threat to fish, with the fishing ban being a purely precautionary measure.