Environmental law has proven to be quite dynamic in the Middle East.  Some countries have made great strides toward protecting resources and preventing pollution.  Others have done little to tackle environmental problems head on due to competing interests or public funding shortfalls.  Although the majority of countries in the Middle East are Arab and Muslim, each has a different approach to its regulatory system.  Vermont Law School, recognizing the complex issues surrounding environmental law in the region, recently launched the Middle East Environmental Law Project (MEEL).  We caught up with John Echeverria, Director of Vermont Law School’s Environmental Law Center.  He explains why environmental law is important in the region, and what MEEL is doing to advance it.

Green Prophet’s Joshua:  What was the impetus to develop the MEEL project?

Professor John Echeverria:  People around the world hear a great deal about the Middle East region, but they know little about the magnificent natural resources in the region , apart from oil and natural gas, or the serious environmental problems the region faces.

The MEEL project, initiated by Vermont Law School LLM student Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, is designed to help fill this gap by educating the media, legal scholars, policy makers, and the general public about the overlooked environmental challenges in this part of the world.  In addition, the MEEL initiative seeks to promote the development of environmental law in the region.  The goal is to reach out to national, regional and international organizations in the field, especially educational centers and institutions, to promote the importance of environmental law not only for the sake of protecting the environment itself, but as the necessary foundation for sustainable economic development.

Joshua:  What does the MEEL project hope to accomplish?

Professor Echeverria:  The MEEL project hopes to serve as an educational resource for people in the Middle East region and around the world who are interested in the environmental laws and regulations of the region. Ultimately, the hope is that it will serve as a spring board for the development of environmental law in individual countries in the region and for multilateral cooperation on environmental issues across the region.

Joshua:  Which countries does the project focus on and how were they chosen?

Professor Echeverria:  Although the Middle East region has been defined in different ways for different purposes,  the MEEL initiative seeks to include all of the countries in the traditional definition of the Middle East region. Some North African countries will also be included.  The MEEL website is a work in progress and not all of the countries in the region have been included to date.

Joshua:  Have you found that these countries have disparate or similar environmental laws and/or enforcement regimes?

Professor Echeverria:  Since the MEEL project is in the early stages of development, it is difficult to offer a definitive response to this question. However, because Islam is the major religion in the region’s countries, it stands to reason that there will be some similarities among many countries in their approaches to legal protection for the environment.  Needless to say, there are also many differences between the countries in the region, reflecting the different economic and political situation in each country, as well as other factors.

Joshua:  What factors do you think inhibit these countries from establishing effective environmental laws?

Professor Echeverria:  Some Middle Eastern countries have very advanced environmental laws which are very effective. However, some developing countries in the region are pursuing economic development priorities that are sometimes perceived to be in conflict with environmental protection.  Also, the political structure of any particular country plays an important role in determining the character of its environmental laws and regulations.  It is clear that environmental officials do not always possess sufficient authority and resources to carry out their missions.

Joshua:  What have you discovered about environmental law in the Middle East through this project that gives you hope?

Professor Echeverria:  Given the nature of the environmental problems facing the region, there is a huge potential for cooperation among the different countries in the region, as well as universities and other educational institutions, to advance the cause of environmental protection. The MEEL is a resource to help foster this cooperation within the region and across the world.

The post The Middle East Environmental Law Project Kickstarted By Vermont Lawyers appeared first on Green Prophet.

Environmentalists have proposed a new government body that might head off ecological catastrophes on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. The new agency could set policy more efficiently by streamlining the powers currently shared by several different authorities.

Two years ago an explosion sank BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig.  The initial blast claimed twelve lives.  But that was just the first tragedy.  A nightmare scenario unfolded in the weeks and months that followed.  The rig sank and crude oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico unabated from the open wellhead.

By some estimates the flow was 53,000 barrels per day.  BP finally capped the wellhead nearly three months later.  Unfortunately, success came only after 4.9 million barrels of oil had devastated the coastline of four US states.

As Israel ramps up offshore drilling for natural gas, advocates are eyeing a system that would prevent these disasters on their own coast.  The Zalul Environmental Association and the Department of Marine Geosciences at Haifa University offered the proposal for the “Sea and Shore Authority”.  They recognized that the power to set maritime policy is currently split between several different ministries.

For example, the Environment Ministry now administers pollution prevention programs.  The Agriculture Ministry supervises fishing.  And the Health Ministry controls water quality.  These authorities would remain intact.  However, the new agency would oversee them, according to attorney Nadia Mogilevsky of Haifa University.

The proposal could garner significant opposition in the Knesset.  It would necessarily appropriate funding currently allocated to existing government offices.  But the proponents believe they can convince Knesset members that Israel’s economic dependence on the Mediterranean Sea necessitates responsible management.

The timing may be just right.  Several desalination facilities have been proposed, including several on man-made islands.  The brine they discharge back into the ocean creates salt fields that are harmful to wildlife.  Chemicals used in the desalination process pollute the area.  And the enormous intake pipes suck in marine life.

Israeli energy companies will soon ramp up natural gas drilling.  A pipeline leak or infrastructure disaster, perhaps like the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, would be catastrophic.  Toxic carbons would permeate the sea, decimating marine life.

Also, Israel continues to lay undersea communication cables.  That activity, combined with commercial fishing and port enlargement, has disturbed sandy habitat and affected fish populations.

Israel is the biggest polluter in the Med

Plus, Zalul’s 2007 State of the Sea Report found that Israel is the biggest polluter in the Eastern Mediterranean.  One hundred and forty tons of heavy metals flow to the sea every year from Israeli fields, towns and factories.  This woeful list includes pesticides, arsenic and even cyanide.

The Environment Ministry is doing what it can with a limited budget.  It works conjunctively with the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute to monitor the shores.  And soon the Ministry will broaden the project’s scope to include deep water.

Still, the risks from desalination, pollution and drilling remain.  Even military actions have unintended consequences for ocean health.  An Israeli airstrike hit a Lebanese power plant in June 2006, dumping 15,000 tons of oil into the Mediterranean.  Two-thirds of Lebanon’s coastline was affected.  The spill was bad timing for Green sea turtles, which begin hatching in July.  Most of the hatchlings were lost.  Endangered Bluefin tuna were killed in scores.  And Lebanese fishermen lost their livelihoods.

Protecting the shore and ocean makes both environmental and economic sense.  The Mediterranean provides much of Israel’s revenue.  One need only look at the industrial activity that occurs in and around the Sea.

So let us consider the threats that linger from decades of lax government regulation.  What will become of those sandy shores when the ocean churns with pollution?  Will visitors still flock to Tel Aviv?  Will sea turtles return to their natal beaches?  Perhaps a Sea and Shore Authority would keep the storms at bay on that dusky horizon.  And maybe let a little sun shine in.

Image of girl and gas mask from Shutterstock

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Many people imagine the typical Israeli farm as a peaceful, lush, agrarian landscape.  In the case of Mazor Farm, they would be wrong.

Founded in 1991, this breeding facility for laboratory monkeys has become a primary target of Israel’s animal rights community.  Mazor Farm receives monkeys caught in the wild predominantly from the island of Mauritius.  These animals are then bred and the offspring sold to laboratories around the world for use in various types of research.  The facility currently holds an estimated 1,500 long tailed macaque monkeys.

Let the Animals Live, an Israel-based animal rights group, petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court in March, asking it to overturn a Central District Court decision allowing Mazor Farm to export 90 female long-tailed macaques to Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories in Seattle.

At issue is a subtle question of Israeli law.  Regulations permit animal export only for medical research whose goal is either to save human lives or reduce human suffering.  The Israel Nature and Parks Authority, which issues the relevant export permits, told the court it plans to reexamine whether Mazor Farm’s application met the necessary criteria.  The Israeli Supreme Court subsequently issued a temporary block of the export.

Additionally, it is illegal in Israel to trade in animals that are captured in the wild.  Lawyers for Let the Animals Live argued that the 90 macaques in question had been taken from the wild.

And importantly, Environmental Defense Minister Gilad Erdan sided with the group.  He sent a letter to the National Parks Authority expressing concern that Mazor Farm had not complied with Israel’s policy on primate export. He concluded by stating his belief that the country should end its trade in monkeys.

Israel is generally considered  to be progressive in its animal welfare policies.  It has banned many activities thought to be cruel, including animal dissections in elementary and secondary schools, performances by trained animals in circuses, and the production of foie gras.

Before the latter prohibition came into effect, Israel was the fourth largest producer of foie gras in the world.  By enacting this ban, the government forfeited significant economic gains in the name of ethics.  The Knesset has also banned animal poisoning, forced labor of physically unfit animals, and the practice of working animals to exhaustion.

In 2009, however, the Knesset rejected a bill that would have changed the name of the Animal Welfare Law to the Animal Rights Law.  The coalition government largely opposed the bill, arguing that Israeli law does not recognize animals as legal entities with the same rights as humans.

Still, Israel’s animal welfare laws are more advanced than those of many countries.  Most US states, for example, still allow the use of animals in circus performances and non-medical laboratory experiments.

Only time will tell how the court ultimately rules on Mazor Farm’s request to export macaques.  As part of its reexamination, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority will require resubmission of information from the laboratory regarding the proposed research for which the macaques would be used.  Government attorney Amir Levy emphasized the Authority’s intention to scrutinize “the unusual request to export for research purposes adult female monkeys that had been imported to Israel from the wild.”

As the fate of 90 macaques hangs in the balance, a protest movement demanding Mazor Farm’s closure is hitting its stride.  The Facebook page for the movement has accumulated nearly 7,000 supporters.  Several protests have been held around the country.  And activists don’t appear ready to give up their ground any time soon.

Image of monkey from Shutterstock

The post Lab Monkeys in Israel Get Reprieve – For Now appeared first on Green Prophet.

Age-old agricultural techniques in the West Bank help conserve rare plants that might otherwise have perished, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

A new survey shows that farmers following traditional practices in the south Hebron Hills have sustained a large number of rare plants.  According to plant researcher Yair Or, the fieldwork turned up several species “that had been found decades ago in the Jerusalem area and since then had not been found and were considered extinct.”

Traditional Palestinian farming is practiced throughout much of the test area.  Therefore, researchers determined it has played an invaluable role in the survival of rare plants.

Unfortunately, not all agricultural practices are so helpful.  The hills around Ein Gedi were covered with at least ten species of trees and shrubs until 60 years ago, when land development in Israel intensified.  Those species had specifically adapted to Ein Gedi’s dry microclimate.

Groundwater pumping by Kibbutz Ein Gedi and land clearing by several farms eventually wiped out the native plants.  Now the Authority is rehabilitating Ein Gedi.  Park staff planted the first set of new flora about four years ago.

Rangers created intricate plans for seeding, germinating and caring for the fledgling trees and shrubs, according to the Authority.  After successfully developing a nursery with several hundred plants, ecologists planted experimental plots.  This process helped them learn to properly water and prune the trees and shrubs.

And the  Israel Nature and Parks Authority has worked diligently to preserve rare plants elsewhere in Israel.  In the Beit Netufa Valley – considered a flora hotspot – there are more than 60 species of unique plants, several of which are in danger of extinction.

A rare type of yellow-petal iris called Grant- Duff’s Iris is among them.  It densely populates the valley but is not adequately bearing fruit.  Hypothesizing that artificial agricultural growth is inhibiting insects from pollinating the irises, the  Israel Nature and Parks Authority initiated a breeding program for the flowers.

So why has agriculture in the Hebron Hills actually helped rare plants, in contrast to the deleterious effects of agriculture in Beit Netufa and Ein Gedi?

Traditional Palestinian agriculture utilizes low impact farming methods, such as harvesting by hand, avoidance or limited use of pesticides and fertilizers, and shallow plowing.  Several of the rare species that flourish in the area are annuals that grow amidst the cultivated crops.  They share a similar life cycle.

Additionally, these traditional practices promote rainwater percolation and soil aeration.  Several rare plants, particularly those with bulbs or corms, favor such conditions.  And the microclimate of the southern Hebron Hills is also partially responsible for the rare plant boon.

The findings in the Hebron area add credence to the beliefs of organic agriculture proponents.  Low-impact agriculture has been proven to conserve water, reduce pollution, and minimize exposure to crop disease.  Now those proponents can add another reason to their list – preservation of rare plants.

Professor Zev Naveh, an ecologist at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, notes that “the farmers of the Mediterranean area did not neglect and deplete the soils, but rather knew in different periods how to preserve them and to exploit their biological variety correctly.”

Ironically, it was originally human activity, including agriculture, that created the diversity of flora and fauna currently found in the Mediterranean Basin.

How wonderful to know that our agricultural practices need not be at odds with nature.  Turns out it isn’t necessary to wrestle the very lifeblood from the land to earn our daily bread.  Perhaps we have something to learn from the keepers of traditional farming in the south Hebron Hills, and from the generations of agriculturalists before them.

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Months after Ben-David’s request, the IDF has done little to assuage the Environment Ministry’s concerns.  Although water samples were collected, military officials have not made the results available.  Recognizing the IDF’s apparent bureaucratic foot-dragging and indifference, Ben-David recently wrote to the Military Advocate General, Brig. Gen. Danny Efroni.  He did not mince words:  “A civilian polluter would have already been investigated by the ministry’s enforcement officials and long since been indicted, probably found guilty and made to pay a heavy fine.”

Ben-David also contacted Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, who indicated that the IDF is in fact subject to fines for water quality violations, just as a civilian polluter would be.  He cast aside the IDF’s claim that such a fine would simply move funds from one government agency to another.

Sadly, the fuel pumps on these bases have equipment to prevent leaks, according to the Environment Ministry, but human error and misuse have limited the technology’s effectiveness.  This makes water quality testing absolutely necessary.

But the IDF may not be the only pollution culprit in the West Bank, according to a report by the International Red Cross and the Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group, a non-governmental organization.  Several Palestinian villages and Israeli Settlements release untreated sewage into surrounding streams.  It ultimately flows into underground water sources, contaminating the Mountain Aquifer, which boasts the highest water quality in Palestine and Israel.

Another study, conducted over two years by the Arava Institute, the Blaustein Institute, and the Palestinian Water and Environmental Development Organization, identified similar issues.  It found that the Basor River, which runs from Hebron in the West Bank to the Gaza Strip, is heavily contaminated.  Toxins discharged from stone and leather working industries enter the river near Hebron.  Anywhere from 45 to 90 percent of that pollution seeps into groundwater before the Basor reaches an Israeli treatment plant.

Pollution in the West Bank is a highly sensitive issue because it highlights the tensions between Palestinian residents and the Israeli government, which has controlled the area since 1967.  A major complaint of Palestinians is that they don’t have access to clean water or modern treatment systems.  Although Israel provides water treatment as a service to Palestinians, it is expensive and not always consistent.

One thing is certain:  there is plenty of blame for all parties.  In most parts of the world, access to clean water is considered a basic human right.  In Israel, it means more.  In this largely arid country where Jews and Muslims are deeply divided, it creates a balance of power.  And as the aforementioned studies show, everything here is connected.  What flows into one river will affect the village downstream, either in the West Bank or in Israel.  What flows off one settlement will affect the neighboring Palestinian town, and vice versa.

The only legitimate water distribution system is one that ensures everyone has access to clean water.  The only defensible regulatory system is one that treats all parties equally, whether Jewish settlement, Palestinian town, or Israeli government agency.  And the time to act is now.  With wells heavily polluted and groundwater quality declining daily, Israelis and Palestinians must seize the moment.

Hopefully the IDF will recognize its obligation to prevent large-scale pollution.  It is in the interest of security as well as environmental protection.  Clean water means human dignity.  And peace will come only when that dignity materializes.

Image of army guarding oil by Shutterstock

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Nemacheilus dori is quite small, measuring only two inches in adulthood. They are the only fish in this particular wetland area and are notoriously difficult to see with the naked eye. That`s because “their color is very similar to that of the ground and they like to be under stones,” says Dana Milstein, an aquatic ecologist for the Nature and Parks Authority.

The fish is challenged in particular by lack of water flows.  The natural spring at Ein Malkoach flows at about 5 cubic meters of water per hour – not enough for the Nemacheilus dori to migrate and seek shelter.  That`s why the Nature and Parks Authority built two additional artificial ponds connected to the river.

The Authority now pumps water into those ponds to create flow.

With a rapidly growing populace and extremely limited real estate (Israel is about the size of New Jersey), ecologists need to think creatively to protect increasingly threatened wildlife and bolster diminishing habitat.

Israeli ecologists have fought to save other critically endangered species over the years. For example, two threatened species of sea turtle – Greens and Loggerheads – nest every year on the beaches north of Tel Aviv.

After the number of female turtles migrating to the beaches plummeted, the Nature and Parks Authority built a hatchery.  Now, with the help of staff and volunteers who monitor the nests, the numbers are steadily increasing.

Additionally, Israel has fully protected 3% of the Mediterranean region and 20% of the desert region as nature reserves. Special rescue operations for protected species such as the leopard, gazelle, ibex and vulture have been undertaken, including establishment of feeding stations and nesting sites.

The country has even taken a few notes from the Bible in its conservation efforts, breeding and reintroducing animals which historically populated the hills and deserts of the Land of Israel into suitable habitats. Such species include the white oryx, ostrich, Persian fallow deer, and roe deer.

Israel`s major wildlife legislation, the Wildlife Protection Law, was established in 1955.  At that time, the law treated “game“ species and “protected animals“ differently.  This distinction allowed for widespread sport hunting.  As a result,protections were not comprehensive and many wildlife species were overhunted.

But it`s not just hunting that has led to significant wildlife declines: Israel has changed significantly during the last 50 years in ways that have severely impacted animals.  Threats to wildlife include habitat loss from housing and infrastructure development, urbanization, appropriation of land for agriculture, pesticide spraying, poisoning and uncontrolled hunting.

In 2010, Israel´s legislature amended the Wildlife Protection Law. The amendment instituted new regulations to control the numerous threats to wildlife.  The changes were sweeping.  All wildlife are now defined as protected.  Sport hunting licenses have been fully revoked.  Transferring and abandoning wildlife is prohibited.  Poisoning wildlife or trading in fur is punishable as a crime.  And stricter penalties are available to enforcement authorities.

An additional reason for the amendment was to implement the requirements of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, to which the country is a signatory.

With the new ponds built by the Nature and Parks Authority, the Nemacheilus dori now swims in flows of 12 cubic meters per hour.  That`s more than double the volume of the river before the artificial ponds were built.  More creative solutions will be needed as wildlife in Israel feel the pressure from human activity.

Above image via the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

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On Tu B’shvat 1890, a Rabbi took his students to plant trees in the agricultural colony of Zichron Yaakov. The practice soon caught on and was adopted by the Jewish Teachers Union. It was ultimately popularized by the Jewish National Fund (Keren HaKayemet L’Israel), an organization established in 1901 to jumpstart land reclamation and reforestation in Israel.

Environmental organizations in Israel have used the holiday to focus attention on the country’s many ecological problems. Besides numerous tree planting ceremonies, groups have publicized the holiday’s environmental significance.

Trees provide a myriad number of “ecosystem services” in Israel. Many species bear fruit, including dates, apricots, figs, and oranges, just to name a few. Some of those fruits are exported all over the world. Trees also provide shade for people and animals – a particularly important benefit in the desert areas throughout the country’s arid South.

And Israel’s forests are habitat for many species, from songbirds to elusive wolves. At the forefront of many Israeli minds this Tu B’Shvat was the Carmel Forest, the site of a catastrophic forest fire in 2010. The forest’s journey towards regrowth is a palpable symbol of nature’s restorative power.

Thus, in addition to their ecological importance, trees are a symbol of renewal. Israel, currently writhing with political discourse, is facing its own growing pains. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets last summer to protest the government’s economic policies.

They complained of a regulatory system rife with cronyism and kickbacks. They brought attention to the lack of housing in major cities. They shined a spotlight on Israel’s neediest people, including Holocaust survivors and the long-term unemployed. They were visible. They were loud. And they were heard.

The Torah, Judaism’s holiest book, teaches that a person “is a tree of the field”. Our spiritual life includes roots, a body, and fruit. The roots symbolize our faith, perseverance and connectedness to place. The trunk, branches and leaves are our intellectual and emotional capacities, including our practical achievements in life. The fruit is the power of our relationships.  This includes the ability to influence others, to plant a seed in another person and see it sprout.

The social protests, which began with a few tents in Tel Aviv, slowly grew into a full-fledged movement. A few individuals, driven by their love of country and sense of social justice, planted a seed of consciousness and patiently tended it. Soon a forest of concerned citizens was knocking at the government’s door.

In a country as complex as Israel, renewal doesn’t happen overnight. It will take time for the fledgling social movement to build strength. Israel won’t see the Carmel Forest return to its original vigor for many years. Ecologists will continue their attempts to conserve species. And problems of pollution and water scarcity will not go away without tremendous effort. But on Tu B’shvat, there is hope.

A classic Jewish story illustrates the importance of cultivating trees for future generations:

An old man was planting a tree.
A young person passed by and asked ‘what are you planting?’
‘A carob tree’, the old man replied.
‘Silly fool’, said the youth. ‘Don’t you know that it takes 70 years for a carob tree to bear fruit?’
‘That’s okay’, said the old man. ‘Just as others planted for me, I plant for future generations.’

And so do Israelis sow the seeds of a just, democratic and sustainable society. Only time will tell whether these efforts will bear fruit. But a tree never grew without a little faith.

Image via tree-species

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A recent study discovered that many Tel Aviv wells are polluted beyond suitability as drinking water sources.  Data collected by the Health Ministry and Water Authority showed that 96 of a total 166 wells in the Tel Aviv area were closed due to contamination. Nearly two-thirds of the wells have been shuttered since 1980, when all 166 were in full operation.  The pollution has been caused by two types of activities.  First, contaminants from armament manufacturing, agricultural runoff and sewage systems seep into the groundwater table.

Second, seawater intrusion has caused salinity levels to rise.  Coastal aquifers have built-in brackish water barriers that create a line between seawater and freshwater.  When wells are overpumped, that barrier weakens and seawater flows into the aquifer.  The subsequent spike in salinity is pervasive and difficult to remediate.

The Israel Military Industries site in Ramat Hasharon is the source of perchlorate leakage.  Perchlorate is a rocket propellant used in several types of military equipment.  It affects human health by interfering with thyroid function.  It may also be a carcinogen, though studies have been inconclusive.

When perchlorate was discovered in Ramat HaSharon, residents immediately began receiving water from the National Water Company.  Now the town has filed suit against the government for additional costs incurred due to the contamination.

The perchlorate must be remediated.  That includes pumping the water out and purifying it.  The plan will take 20 years and cost Israeli taxpayers half a billion shekels.  But the cleanup is essential to ensure wells are fully restored and the perchlorate does not continue to spread.

Runoff from agricultural areas has been pervasive in the Tel Aviv area.  Chemical pesticides and fertilizers used on most large-scale farms have leached into groundwater.  This causes unacceptable levels of nitrates, which are a danger for both human health and the environment.  32 of the abandoned wells showed nitrate levels exceeding water quality standards.  Additionally, several wells contain toxic metals.

Unfortunately, the problems with these wells started long ago.  As Dr. Alon Tal notes in his book Pollution in a Promised Land, “it was not just overpumping and salinity that forced Tel Aviv to close its wells during the early 1950s.  The city’s ubiquitous septic tanks leaked into the wellheads…[and] when Tel Aviv’s wells became too salty for drinking in the mid-1950s, it was a harbinger of things to come.”

These problems started long ago.  They are symptoms of Israel’s water woes.  An increasingly burdened distribution system, rampant sewage leaks, and agricultural runoff have been part of the country’s water narrative for decades.

And the crisis is not limited to the Tel Aviv area.  Seawater intrusion has reached epidemic levels in the south of Israel.  Mekorot, the National Water Company, is developing a plan to restore aquifers near Sderot.

The proposal involves building two brackish groundwater desalination plants at a cost of $150 million.  These facilities will eventually produce thousands of cubic meters of fresh water that will be pumped to towns throughout the country.  And the added benefit will be to ease seawater pressure on the aquifer.  Moreover, brackish groundwater desalination has fewer impacts on the environment than other types of desalination.

Prof. Dan Zaslavsky of the Technion University has said that desalination’s ability to prevent seawater intrusion makes its development a necessity.  He argues that in the past, when experts considered the economics of desalination, they did not factor in the costs of remediating aquifers in the absence of desalination.

But what about the perchlorate, toxic metals, sewage and agricultural runoff?  Certainly Mr. Zaslavsky or others can make a convincing argument for instituting controls on those contaminants before they reach our aquifers.  Because once they are in the water, only a prohibitively expensive remediation project will get them out.

Image via Rain Rannu

The post Tel Aviv Water Wells Polluted from Contamination appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Israel Chamber of Commerce recently requested that the government reinvestigate a project to connect the Dead Sea and Mediterranean Sea.  In a joint letter to Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan and Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau, Chamber president Uriel Lynn argued that the project would have multiple benefits. Apart from augmenting water flows to the ever-dwindling Dead Sea, Lynn noted the project would improve the environment, tourism and agriculture and produce energy.

The idea is not new.  Known as the “Med-Dead” project, it has been kicked around by engineers and environmental experts for decades.  In response to Lynn’s letter, Minister Landau wrote that his office had been conducting a feasibility study for a similar project, the “Red-Dead” canal, which would connect the Dead Sea with the Red Sea.

The Israeli government conducted a feasibility study of the Med-Dead Canal in the 1970s and nearly began construction.  However, it never went forward due to financial concerns and trans-boundary issues with Jordan – the Dead Sea straddles the Jordanian border.

Ultimately, as noted in Landau’s response, the government determined that the Red-Dead project was more promising.  A canal beginning at the Red Sea could provide source water for desalination and hydroelectric power in addition to filling the Dead Sea’s water deficit. 

And now a team of scientists from the World Bank, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority are determining whether the plan is economically feasible – and if so, at what environmental cost.  That long-awaited recommendation may soon be in the hands of the Prime Minister.

Migration impossible, and salt leakage possible

But either plan is fraught with difficulties.  For example, saltwater leakage from the canal system could result in groundwater contamination.  Construction and maintenance of the project could disturb wildlife – many species are sensitive to noise and dust.  And the canal itself will likely obstruct wildlife corridors, making migration for many species nearly impossible.  The intake system for the Red-Dead project could disturb sensitive coral communities, which line the seashore in the city of Eilat.

This is to say nothing of the massive untested experiment of taking saltwater from one place and moving it to another.  What effect will it have on the water column?  Might this canal carry non-native species into the heart of Israel, possibly wreaking havoc on the ecosystems there?

Meanwhile, a Dead Sea Restoration bill floating around the Knesset for some time has died.  For the second time, the Cabinet rejected the legislation, which would have funded a comprehensive rehabilitation of the struggling water body.  The measure was introduced to maintain water levels in the northern basin, conserve natural resources in the area, and rearrange the system of mineral extraction to ensure the Dead Sea’s protection.

Sinkholes good for the environment, one MK claims

According to Environment Minister Erdan’s office, Minister Bennie Begin of the Likkud party stated during the cabinet discussion that the Dead Sea was not a “catastrophe” and the sinkholes from receding waters were attracting tourists to the area.

This action came shortly after the Cabinet approved a mining agreement between the Dead Sea Works and the Finance Ministry.  Pursuant to that pact, a full salt harvest will occur this year with the company shouldering 80% of the financing and the government receiving 10% royalties.

While the Red-Dead report is dragged out and politicians insist on milking every mineral, the Dead Sea shrivels and buckles.  But nobody seems particularly interested in restoring the  one Million year old water body to a state anywhere near its historic vigor.

This icon of Israel is visited by tourists the world over.  They marvel at its buoyancy and the healing properties of its mud.  It is a natural wonder and a unique resource.  Perhaps one day the government will understand its worth.  But for now, the promise of energy production, desalination and mineral royalties seem to have trumped it.

Above image via Wikipedia illustrates a hydro pump system that stores reserve energy.

The post Sea Water Hydro Pump from Med to Dead Sea Needs Rethink appeared first on Green Prophet.

Water pollution in Israeli lakes, streams and groundwater aquifers is reaching alarming levels. Although the country has regulations in place to prevent discharges, including a comprehensive Water Law, contamination is commonplace. And now scientists are finding that water quality problems threaten both wildlife and human health.

The lutra, a cousin of the otter found in lakes and rivers throughout Northern Israel, is in danger of extinction. Hunting is one of the threats to this fish-eating swamp dweller. Guest workers, mostly from Thailand, have been responsible for a great deal of lutra poaching. Arriving from areas in Southeast Asia where unrestricted wildlife trapping is the norm, these workers often clash with Israel’s stricter protections.

However, the more pervasive danger for the lutra is polluted water flowing through its habitat. In a recent study published in the Israeli journal Ecology & Environment, scientists reported that low water quality and lack of flow in the Jordan River has nearly wiped out the lutra south of Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee). The population north of the lake is relatively stable, but its disappearance in other areas has shocked ecologists.

Additionally, industrial waste from factories in the Rotem Plain has been leaching into groundwater near Ein Bokek Nature Reserve for almost two decades. Ein Bokek is one of the most important reserves in Israel, hosting a myriad species of animals and plants.

Environmentalists filed a lawsuit shortly after the pollution was discovered. The Water Tribunal in Haifa eventually mediated a settlement agreement between NGOs, industrial facilities and the water company. Pursuant to that plan, the water company would pump out contaminated water and the Dead Sea Works would decontaminate it.

Despite this comprehensive treatment plan, however, Nature and Parks Authority ecologists Michael Blecher and Orna Blecher recently reported that the overall number of plant species in Ein Bokek is declining. They were particularly concerned about the disappearance of doellia bovei, a rare plant threatened with extinction.

Tests conducted by the Geological Survey of Israel determined that salinity levels are six times greater than before the industrial waste was discovered. But the companies and the Water Authority maintain they have executed their responsibilities as stipulated in the Water Tribunal agreement.

Finally, Israeli scientists recently presented findings that link pollution with autism. Diagnoses of the disorder have risen sharply in recent years. Scientists now believe that exposure to toxins such as lead, mercury and pesticides could account for 25 percent of that increase.

These pollutants are particularly dangerous for young children due to the way they alter brain development. According to Dr. Tamar Berman of Israel’s Health Ministry, two percent of drinking water samples exceed the maximum allowable levels of lead. Even this modest exceedance is dangerous due to lead’s serious impact on child development.

How has Israel’s water policy failed to prevent these problems? Lack of enforcement, sluggish political will and information gaps are the main culprits.

The country’s Clean Air Act came into effect last year. What about revamping the Water Law? Passed in 1959, this legislation needs to be updated to include proper contaminant classification, water quality guidelines that protect human health and the environment, and effective enforcement provisions. Such improvements could also reign in unchecked agricultural runoff and preserve the quality of Israel’s aquifers, which have suffered considerably in the last 50 years.

As for the embattled lutra, relief may be coming soon. The Environment Ministry has promised to release 1 billion cubic feet of water to restore the Jordan River in 2013. This influx of fresh water will help dilute sewage flows. Although environmentalists claim the amount falls short of a full restoration, it’s a good start. And it’s a step toward cleaner habitat for the lutra and other wildlife.

Image via zabdiel

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