In 1948, David Ben Gurion, Israel’s founding father, declared that the new nation’s goal was to make the desert bloom. More than 60 years later, Israel has made good on this promise, creating and managing an efficient, innovative water system that has helped this desert nation meet domestic demands, while allowing water intensive industries—including agriculture—to thrive. As I mentioned last week, in July I was lucky enough to participate in the WATEC Exhibition Press Tour hosted by NewTech; Israel’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor; and the Israel Export Institute, and as such I saw firsthand how, over the course of a few decades, Israel has turned its arid landscape into a true dessert oasis.
Water scarcity has been an issue in Israel since the nation’s founding in 1948. Although water consumption has remained nearly the same since 1964—despite a growing population—average national daily consumption is still about 250 liters per person, with 35% of Israel’s water used for domestic consumption, 22% for agriculture, 6% for industry, 3% for nature, and the remaining 7% being used by the country’s neighbors. With an annual shortage of 45%—2 billion cubic meters per year in consumption versus 1 billion cubic meters per year in source—the country was quick to tap two alternative sources: desalination and reuse.
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| Photo: The Hadera Desalination Plant |
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| Photo: The taste test - desalinated drinking water. |
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| Photo: The Hadera Desalination Plant - intake and discharge |
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| Photo: Wastewater treatment (Mapal) |
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| Photo: A field of eggplant sustained via drip irrigation. |
Ten years ago, it was cheaper to import water—primarily from Turkey—than to depend on desalination, but all that’s changed, due in part to the country’s commitment to research and innovation. Currently, three plants in Israel supply 40% of the country’s consumption, generating 250 million cubic meters per year. Hadera, located just up the coast from Tel Aviv, is one of the largest desalination plants of its kind in the world. These plants include two of the largest reverse osmosis systems in the world and produce the world’s cheapest desalinated water: 52 cents per cubic meter versus a world average of $1 per cubic meter. By 2013, the country intends to use desalination to supply more than 500 million cubic meters per year—35% of the nation’s freshwater needs—via five desalination plants scattered around the country’s coastline.
Israel currently reuses between 70–80% of its wastewater for agricultural and municipal purposes, making it first in the world (with Spain a distant second at 15% wastewater reuse). This recycled water is not mixed with freshwater sources and instead travels through a separate piping system that spans the country. A variety of new technologies have developed domestically by Israel to deal with its extensive water reuse system, including suction scanning technology that allows for fast, efficient, self-cleaning filtering applications; laser-based analysis that uses online, laser-based particle size analyzers to detect solids; microbial fuel cell technology to produce electricity directly from wastewater; an integrated sewage recycling system; and fine bubble aeration for efficient wastewater treatment.
There are no private water utilities in Israel. In 1959, the nation passed the Water Law, declaring, “water belongs to the people” and establishing the National Water Carrier. As a result of the 1959 mandate, Israel’s Water Authority manages the country’s water resource management on behalf of citizens, but each water agency is operated as an independent company rather than as one department within the larger local or municipal government. This allows the water agencies to act as independent entities beholden only to the Department of the Interior and free from the budgetary and political concerns that can influence and impact local government decisions. Because domestic water use gets top priority, other water users—like those in agriculture or industry—may see their allocations reduced when supply is unable to meet demand. The National Water Carrier accomplishes a staggering feat of water resource management, delivering a combination of freshwater, desalinated water, and reclaimed water across the nation, often shifting and rerouting the country’s main water arteries in response to varying supply and demand.
Agricultural water demands also play a part in the country’s overall water resource management scheme. Israel first conceived drip irrigation—with the discovery in 1959 by Simcha Blass, an Israeli water engineer—that a slow and balanced drip effect could result in “remarkable plant growth”. Now 100% of the irrigation is comprised of low-pressure systems using combination of drip (75%) and sprinkler (25%) irrigation. Israel is also at the forefront of high-tech irrigation solutions, including subsurface drip irrigation and fertigation, advanced computerization via real-time monitoring and preprogrammed intervals, and moisture sensors and individual spray irrigation. Additionally, more than 50% of Israel’s irrigation is made of up this recycled water.
Taking a burden and turning it into a resource—that just about sums up Israel water resource perspective. Whether it’s reusing wastewater, or capitalizing on proximity of the Mediterranean for desalination, the country has found a way to turn a challenge into an opportunity.