Israel has pumped increasing quantities of water from the Mediterranean Sea in recent years. The series of desalination plants built along the coast is supplying a significant amount of water to the country’s homes, relieving Israel of the chronic water shortages it once endured.
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But the new installations have also brought new problems, such as the accumulative effect of large quantities of salt being dumped back into the sea as a by-product of the desalination process.
This question has already led several government ministries to order a study of the issue, which is already underway. Ensuing health and environmental problems will also have to be addressed.
This year, the country’s fifth desalination plant goes online in Ashdod. Along with the four older plants, some 582 million cubic meters of water will be produced annually – meeting about two-thirds of Israel’s domestic needs. It will not be the last plant, though, with the Israel Water Authority planning to establish another in Western Galilee and another four large facilities along the coast by 2025. Zoning plans for these coastal projects have already been approved.
“Desalination has created a new and reliable source of water, and reduces dependency on the amount of rainwater,” said Hila Gil, director of the desalination division in the Water Authority. “It allows us to allocate water for farmers for a much longer period, and also for rehabilitating natural parks,” she added.
It’s easy to see the effect it is having on agriculture. A study by the agricultural administration, in conjunction with a consortium of government and academic institutions, found that in the years 1992-2011, the concentrations of salt in the leaves of citrus orchards was high, putting the plants at risk. But last year, a study found a decline of dozens of percent in salt concentrations, as a result of increased use of desalinated water.
“Desalination has significantly improved the quality of the water,” said Gil.
The dramatic influence of desalination plants on the balance of supply and demand for water can be seen in the Kinneret Basin, in northern Israel. No desalinated water has been supplied there as yet, and its supply is dependent solely on rainwater and natural supplies such as deep wells.
In recent years, there has been a shortage of rain there and the Water Authority has had to set quotas on quantities of water supplied to farmers. But the damage to the region, and Lake Kinneret in particular, could have been greater.
Using desalination plants as a backup, the country can afford to completely stop pumping water from the Kinneret and National Water Carrier (which originates in the north and was once the main provider of water to the center of the country). This will prevent a more severe drop in the lake’s water level.
Alongside the advantages, desalination plants have also had a significant impact on the environment and, indirectly, on consumer health.
Although they supply high quality water, it is devoid of some key minerals found in normal water, like magnesium. Magnesium shortages can raise the risk of heart disease, with some experts pointing to a significant shortage of this important mineral in the water.
“Initial results of Israeli studies point to an elevated mortality risk of myocardial infarction in areas where there is wide use of desalinated water,” said public health expert Prof. Yona Amitai, speaking recently at a Bar-Ilan University conference on regulating water supply.
Amitai urged that “more studies be done to examine the possibility of adding magnesium to the water.”
As well as being bad for people, magnesium deficiency can also hurt agricultural products. Researchers at the agricultural administration have already found a significant drop in the supply of this mineral in orchards where desalinated water is used. However, they said the problem can be overcome by adding fertilizer containing magnesium to the