Major Israeli Desalination Plant Shuts Down Again Amid Rising Pollution

Israel's most important desalination facility, Sorek A, was forced to shut down again overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday due to a renewed rise in pollution levels in its vicinity. Currently, only Sorek B and Palmahim, which together form one of five major desalination complexes, are operating at partial capacity.

This comes after Energy Minister Eli Cohen had ordered Sorek B and Palmahim back to partial operation on Tuesday to prevent a domestic water shortage, despite exceeding permissible pollution levels. The concern is that the desalination plant membranes could be damaged, with the state having committed to compensating private operators for any such harm.

New footage has revealed that the pollution was visible in Israel about a week ago and did not dissipate over the weekend. Minister Cohen stated on Wednesday morning that "despite the unusual natural phenomenon, the water economy is proving its resilience. Thanks to intensive work, we have renewed water supply to agriculture, and water supply to households continues as usual. I thank the workers of the Water Authority, Mekorot, and the Ministry of Energy for their dedicated work for the benefit of Israeli citizens."

On Tuesday, five out of six private desalination plants were shut down due to increased turbidity in the seawater. Consequently, the Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure instructed local authorities to reduce public gardening and agricultural activities, as well as other public water usage.

Earlier reports indicated that the Water Authority was considering restarting a desalination plant despite low water quality and operational guideline violations, with a source stating, "We may take a calculated risk." The Water Authority had previously announced on Monday that severe seawater turbidity, caused by weekend weather, led to the temporary shutdown of some private desalination plants and a directive to reduce the supply of fresh water to agriculture in the south. Mekorot, the national water company, is reportedly increasing production from all available sources, with estimates suggesting some desalination plants would resume operation soon.