Rehabilitating Israel's streams and rivers

Abstract

By the 1960s, the intermittent streams in Israel, emptying either into the Mediterranean or into the Dead Sea in the east, became perennial sewage conduits, with the local aquatic habitat decimated or changed beyond recognition. The natural flow of water that had once offered a seasonal pulse to these ephemeral wadis was typically tapped for agricultural utilization of drinking water. During the past two decades, there appeared initial signs that this ecological misfortune was reversible. In 2003, Israel's water law was finally amended, adding ‘nature’ to the list of legitimate recipients of fresh water allocations (along with agriculture, industry and household uses). New standards were set for waste-water treatment. Recent advances in the construction of Israel's desalination infrastructure have added substantial quantities of fresh water to Israel's national grid and raise the prospects of a new deal for Israel's streams. Improved regulation by Israel's agencies and upgraded levels of sewage treatment also promised to improve conditions in the contaminated waterways. This article offers an historic retrospective of the progress of Israel's streams made thus far and future restoration challenges.

Keywords:

• Streams
• rehabilitaition
• restoration
• Israel
• rivers

Notes

Although there are is no single classification that is universally accepted among experts, one popular definition classifies streams as ephemeral if they lie in watersheds where the channel is hydrologically active for less than 2% of the time or about seven days per year (Reid et al. 1998).

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, agriculture now accounts for only 1% of the national Gross Domestic Product (Central Bureau of Statistics 2012).

Chronic water scarcity is commonly defined by water managers as renewable water supplies of less than 500 mcm per capita per year (based on the Falkenmark Index. For a comparison of water poverty indices, see Lawrence et al. 2002). Between 1990 and 2010, Israel's renewable rate was less than 200 mcm/cap/year (Weinberger et al. 2012). Even with massive desalination and waste-water reuse included, this amount was less than 300 mcm/cap/year.

See, for instance, projections at http://www.climatewizard.org/