Israel's Water Crisis: Desalination Plants Hit by Algae Bloom

Israel is facing a significant water crisis as a massive algae bloom along its coast has forced the shutdown of two major desalination plants and led to partial operations at two others. The bloom has caused high turbidity in seawater, threatening the filtration systems of these crucial facilities. An experiment conducted by authorities to mitigate the algae bloom has so far proven unsuccessful, according to Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen. Specialists are expected to finalize their assessment within two days, but the crisis has already persisted for nine days.

The Ashkelon and Ashdod desalination plants are completely offline, while the Palmahim and Sorek facilities are operating at reduced capacity. The Hadera plant remains the only one functioning at full capacity. These restrictions are necessary to prevent damage to the plants' filters, with potential replacement costs running into tens of millions of shekels for thousands of new membranes.

Despite the operational challenges, Minister Cohen assured the public that there is no immediate threat to water supply. Current consumption is around 20,000 cubic meters per hour, well below the available production capacity of approximately 35,000 cubic meters per hour. Excess capacity is being used to replenish reservoirs.

To compensate for the reduced desalination output, the national water company Mekorot has increased water intake from the Sea of Galilee and activated hundreds of underground wells across the country, including normally unused reserve sources. The ongoing situation is prompting authorities to consider long-term solutions, such as extending water intake pipes further offshore to access less concentrated algae, though this would increase production costs.

The exact cause of the unusual algae bloom remains undetermined. Minister Cohen dismissed theories linking it to wastewater from the Gaza Strip, citing satellite data that suggests the algae are moving from the Nile Delta region in Egypt. Even amidst this crisis, Israel intends to uphold its water supply commitments to Jordan, amounting to 50 million cubic meters annually.