Israel: Dredging Resumes on Kishon River

The Kishon River restoration project that was suspended in late June is once again underway, as a result of pressure from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MoEP).

The cleanup project began again on July 13, after the Water Authority finally approved the discharge of treated water back into the river. The ministry had frozen the project because the Water Authority had refused to approve the discharge for more than six months, despite the recommendations of a professional committee.

The international cleanup crew resumed their intensive river rehabilitation work after the project administrator announced that the Water Authority approved the discharge of purified water back into the river. The crew is dredging the contaminated sediment from the downstream section of the Kishon, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the pollution that has plagued the riverbed for decades.

Administrators of the project were pleased that the work was continuing: “Together with Minister of Environmental Protection Amir Peretz, the MoEP, authorities in Haifa Bay, and the many entities involved in the national historic project to restore the Kishon, we are pleased, and praise renewal of this important work at the site. We will continue to bring this river back to life for the benefit of hundreds of thousands of Haifa Bay residents, and for the good for all Israeli citizens that want a restored and thriving river.”

The project is aimed at cleaning 7 kilometers downstream, contaminated by pollution that originated in both industrial effluents and municipal wastewater. Some 400,000 cubic meters of sediments are expected to be removed from the river bottom.

A complex process that will include dewatering the dredged slurry and biological treatment of the sediment, purified water will be discharged back into the river and aerated bio-piles will be incorporated into a public metropolitan park.

[mappress]

Press Release, July 14, 2014