Zafrir Rinat Mar 18, 2016
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Israel’s largest desalination plant was shut down yesterday by order of the Health Ministry due to marine pollution. The source of the pollution was an excess of treated effluent that was released into the sea instead of being stored for irrigation due to a lack of space.
It is still unclear when the plant, located southwest of Rishon Letzion will come back on line, and depends on when the flow of treated effluent stops and the polluted water is diluted.
The effluent was channeled to the sea via the Soreq Stream near the Palmahim beach. The environmental group Zalul said surfers in that area reported a burning sensation in their throats and eyes after being in the sea.
Zalul is demanding an investigation to determine what it says is a failure by the authorities responsible for water quality and supply.
The farmers use the effluent, but the Water Authority decided to stop participating in the construction of reservoirs, said Erez Wisman, director of the water employees’ union and chairman of the private water supply associations.“The agricultural associations are now faced with a shortage of tens of millions of cubic meters of reservoir,” Wisman said.
The Water Authority said that the effluent was “excess from the treatment plants at Yavne and Ashdod. “The harnessing of effluent is not sufficient at the moment, resulting in excesses which, due to lack of choice, had to be channeled into the stream and the sea. To reduce the damage, it was decided together with other experts to channel it into the Soreq Stream and thus keep the rest of the region’s streams clean.”
The Water Authority said experts were keeping an eye on the situation, studying the alternatives and would discuss the matter again next week. “The Water Authority is a partner in advancing planning and development of effluent treatment facilities, in particular the addition and upgrading of reservoirs so that in two to six years we can abstain from channeling treated effluent to streams in the region.”
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A better solution would be the investment in the combination of roof top gardens (calculate the total area of roof tops which is a lot!) neighborhood rain tanks, and rain gardens (you direct the Strom flow water away from the drains or pipes into communal spaces that are under appreciated, like abandoned lots to make gardens) this method has many bennifits- cheaper investment, no construction or EIA, either absorbs or catches storm water to make city resilient to floods, prevents over flow at treatment plants which prevents the release of effluents into our shores and the contamination and need to shut down our very important desalination plants. Provides a cooling effect in the city especially buildings with green roofs as the plants absorb solar radiation and the need for air-conditioning goes down. You have also provided local places for communities to grow food, and provided jobs for people, instead of producing co2 your producing oxygen, and lastly the city looks beautiful and can be an educational opportunity for kids and schools. If the water recycling plant and authorities invested and allowed this type of use of rain ( I know the rain “belongs” to the government) the input would be minimal at the beginning and the out put or results would be many and huge forever- low maintenance and no additional energy from the grid needed in this system. Let’s make it happen!!