| 1937 |
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Establishment of Mekorot as Israel’s national water company
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| 1938 |
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Following approval from the British Mandatory Government, completion of the Kishon Water Project, Mekorot’s first large-scale development that included digging wells and laying pipe to bring water to the Jezreel Valley in Israel’s North and building dams for flood control
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| 1943 |
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Discovery of deep water sources in the Negev (an arid region located in Israel’s south) : project included the drilling of wells, establishment of pools and laying of pipe to serve eleven new towns
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| 1944 |
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Provision of water to agricultural settlements in the Beit Shaan Valley region located south of the Sea of Galilee
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| 1947 |
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Opening of a 6 inch pipeline to the northern Negev
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| 1948 |
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Laying of the Shiloach Pipeline along the famous “Burma Route” to Jerusalem during the War of Independence to bring water to the capital city
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| 1953 |
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Opening of the 24 inch, 2nd Pipeline to Jerusalem providing 20 million cubic meters per annum
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| 1954 |
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Building of the Tekuma Reservoir in Central Israel with a capacity of 200,000 cubic meters
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| 1955 |
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Completion of the Eastern Yarkon Negev project, including a 108 km. pipeline, 3 underground pumping stations, and reservoirs with a total capacity of 350,000 cubic meters
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| 1958 |
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Connection of Tel Aviv’s water system to the Mekorot grid allowing water distribution to Israel’s largest metropolitan region
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| 1961 |
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Establishment of the Rain Enhancement department increasing rainfall by 13%-18% per year, and completion of the 70 inch Western Yarkon- Negev Pipeline (66 km.)
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| 1964 |
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Completion of the National Water Carrier, including pipelines and pumping stations to carry 380 million cubic meters of drinking water per year over a distance of approximately 130 km
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| 1964/5 |
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Building of the Brackish Water Pipeline, designed to divert brackish ground water from infiltrating the Sea of Galilee and transport it for agricultural use in the Negev region
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| 1967/8 |
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Execution of the Menashe Rivers Floodwater Reclamation Project
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| 1969 |
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Establishment of the Shafdan Water Treatment Plant in central Israel to treat approximately 130 million cubic meters of wastewater per year
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| 1969 |
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First wells drilled in the Golan Heights in Israel’s north
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| 1970 |
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Inauguration of the Menashe Water Pumping Station in Israel’s south, the first operational pumping station of the National Water Carrier Introduction of novel biological treatment of water using a balanced variety of fish
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| 1979 |
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Establishment of the 3rd Pipeline to Jerusalem, a 20 kilometer, 36 inch pipeline delivering 14 million cubic meters of water a year to Israel’s capital city
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| 1984 |
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Inauguration of the Kishon Treatment Plant in Northern Israel that provides 20 million cubic meters of treated wastewater a year for agricultural use in the fertile Jezreel Valley, maximizing distribution potential during high-demand periods
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| 1986 |
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Inauguration of Hydroelectric Turbines using extra water capacity from the National Water Carrier to create electric power
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| 1989 |
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Inauguration of 3rd Pipeline to the Negev, including pipelines, water pumping stations and reservoirs
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| 1994 |
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Establishment of the 36 kilometer 4th Pipeline to Jerusalem, including four advanced pumping stations, substantially improving the delivery of water to Israel’s capital city. Mekorot is currently building an 80 inch, 5th Pipeline to Jerusalem that will deliver a further 150 million cubic meters of water to Jerusalem per annum to meet the capital’s needs in the 21st century
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| 1997 |
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First reverse osmosis desalination plant opened in Eilat, Israel’s vacation city at the tip of the Red Sea in Israel’s south, which now supplies all of its freshwater needs
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| 2004 |
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Use of patented technology to reduce boron content of water produced from a reverse osmosis desalination plant in Eilat
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| 2005 |
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Establishment of WaTech™ - Entrepreneurship & Partnership Center for Water Technologies
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| 2006 |
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Initiation of agreements with various international water companies, water authorities and universities including Siemens, Melbourne Water, Sydney Water, calling for cooperation in a variety of water-related fields
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| 2006 |
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International accreditation of Mekorot’s six laboratories
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| 2007 |
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Following a major, multi-year design and construction project, inauguration of Mekorot’s advanced Central Filtration Plant at the company’s Eshkol facility. Built at a cost of more than $100 million, the sophisticated plant has annual filtering capacity in excess of 500 million cubic meters per year. It is the largest plant of its type in Israel and one of the largest in the world
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