The central filtration plant, the only one of its kind in the country and the fourth largest in the world, heralds a new era for the treatment of drinking water in Israel. The plant puts the National Water Company, "Mekorot", amongst the front ranking countries of the Western world in the treatment of drinking water.
"Mekorot" supplies most of the drinking water to the population of Israel. In order to guarantee that the water reaches the consumer continuously and is of a high quality, "Mekorot" takes a number of measures of which one of the most important and complex is the processing of water from various sources into water fit for drinking. The parameters for water quality in Israel are set by the Ministry of Health which from time to time reviews and changes the standards, including the permitted level of turbidity.
Treatment of water taken from the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret)
The main source of water for Israel is the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). This is an above ground water source that provides daily, through "Mekorot" and the National Water Carrier, drinking water to over half of Israel's' inhabitants. The National Water Carrier is the major water distribution system for the State of Israel.
When operation of the Carrier began in 1964, the majority of water from the Sea of Galilee was utilized for agriculture and only a relatively small volume for home usage. Over the years, and especially the past 20 years, the Health Ministry's regulations regarding standards of water purity have become more stringent and the pattern of water usage has changed. Today, most of the water is for home use and only a small amount is slated for agriculture. Because of this water treatment procedures have been expanded to cope with the change. In order for "Mekorot" to supply water at the expected level of quality, the company has developed unique treatment methods both physical-chemical and biological.
The physical-chemical treatment method was based on a system whereby a chemical, Alum, was added to the water in order to improve its quality. Mixing the chemical with the water along with high speed agitation causes the unwanted particles to amalgamate into large, heavy groupings that fall to the bottom of the collection pool and are removed from the system.
"Mekorot" added additional improving agents to the water in order to ensure that the water flowing through the pipes is indeed, safe for drinking. The biological treatment method was based on the use of fish in the reservoirs. The fish fed naturally on the unwanted particles that affected water quality, without polluting the water.
The Eshkol Site
The pumping of water from the Sea of Galilee begins at the Sapir facility. Due to the fact that the waters of the Sea of Galilee are 212 meters below sea level, it is necessary to raise the extracted water to a height of 152 meters above sea level. With the aid of a pressurized pipe system, the water is "pushed" upwards and flows through a system of open channels, pipelines and reservoirs to the Eshkol site which is situated in the Bet Netofa Valley. Here the water is treated in preparation for supply to the consumer.
The Eshkol site is divided into 2 reservoirs: a sedimentation reservoir and a distribution reservoir. In the sedimentation reservoir, the water goes through a number of processes in order to purify it and bring it to a standard acceptable for drinking water. In the distribution reservoir it is metered out into the National Water Carrier pipeline in accordance with different needs and demands. After the clean water enters the National Water Carrier it flows south to regional water distribution facilities situated across the State of Israel. From there, the water is distributed for urban, industrial and agricultural usage.
Research, Planning and Development
The treatment methods developed by Mekorot have helped greatly in the water purification process and allowed the attaining low turbidity levels which are evidence of the waters quality. However, the Ministry of Health has changed water quality specifications and now requires a gradual lowering of permitted turbidity levels from five parts to one part.
It was clear that in the long term, an additional means of water purification would be necessary. Research and experiments in the world have shown filtration as being the most effective method for attaining the desired levels of purity and turbidity. After a long and thorough process that included many tests both by Israeli and international teams, it was decided to build a central filtration plant at the Eshkol site at an estimated cost of 550 million New Israeli Shekels.
After the decision was taken, Mekorot built an experimental filtration plant in order to achieve the highest standards in the planning of the main plant. Later, the company made preparations for the complex and challenging task of running and maintaining the filtration plant. This process included the formation of a professional administration whose main task was to run and supervise the project until its completion. In addition, a professional training plan was developed for the workers at the plant and was implemented in a facility designed specifically for the task. After a running in period, Mekorot was given full responsibility for the operation of the central filtration plant.
Central Filtration Plant
The central filtration plant is one of the most complicated of its kind in the world. The plant combines technology, engineering techniques and operational procedures that are amongst the most advanced in the world. Most of the plants control system is completely automatic and the labor force needed for its operation is much smaller than that of similar sized installations. The goal is to ensure a filtration and purification process that is reliable, fast and safe whilst keeping costs as low as possible.
In order to ensure a reliable water supply of the highest quality, the plant employs an advanced system of tests and controls that monitor the water quality, the treatment process and the operation of the plant. In addition, a control center was built near the plant and is manned constantly by highly trained technicians. The operational processes and check systems are linked by a computerized control system that is in its turn connected to the control center. As well as tracking and collecting data, the system also warns, in real time, of any variation from required operating procedures or water quality.
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Thinking Green
Mekorot places great importance on preserving natural landscape and nature. Even whilst building the central filtration plant Mekorot was extremely sensitive to environmental factors and went so far as to alter the course of the Yiftach-El stream that ran through the plant site in order to minimize the effect on animals, plant life and water creatures. In addition, the company went to great lengths to rehabilitate the landscape and plant life around the plant and replanted 130 Tavor oak trees that were in the excavation area of the streams diverted course to the area of Mekorot's laboratories at the Eshkol site. |