Israel fills the Sea of Galilee with desalinated seawater
Experts have confirmed the process should not significantly disturb the lake’s ecosystem, though they continue to monitor long-term effects from the lower salinity.
Israel has begun an unprecedented project to channel desalinated seawater into the Sea of Galilee, the country’s largest freshwater reservoir, marking the first time such an initiative has been attempted anywhere in the world.
The Water Authority quietly inaugurated the effort on October 23.
Treated water from Mediterranean desalination plants is being routed to the lake through the Tsalmon stream near the Ein Ravid spring.
Project manager Firas Talhami said the system could gradually raise the lake’s level by around half a centimeter each month and restore dried-out areas, including the Tsalmon stream, which is now navigable by canoe.
The Sea of Galilee’s level, measured Monday at 213.33 meters below sea level, remains close to the critical “lower red line,” signaling ecological stress. Several dry winters have compounded water scarcity, with rainfall in some regions reaching only 40% of the usual average.
Conceived after severe droughts between 2013 and 2018, the project aims to protect northern Israel’s water reserves while reducing direct pumping from the lake. This year, only 20 million cubic meters will be withdrawn, a tenth of prior amounts.
Two pipelines have been installed to deliver water, one of which currently pumps 1,000 cubic meters per hour, with the potential to double flows depending on rainfall and desalination output. Experts have confirmed the process should not significantly disturb the lake’s ecosystem, though they continue to monitor long-term effects from the lower salinity.
Israel, a global leader in desalination, now produces enough water to meet most of its domestic demand and export surplus to neighboring countries. The refilling of the Sea of Galilee highlights both the nation’s technological achievements and its ongoing vulnerability to climate change.