End to the stench on Ashdod beaches? The upgrade that should prevent the next hazard

The court approved a mediation agreement to upgrade the Timorim wastewater treatment plant by 2029, following a class action by bathers and surfers on Ashdod beaches. The facility will be able to treat twice the amount of sewage, and additional reservoirs will be built. The agreement was signed after pollution from the reservoir flowed into the Lachish River, causing beach closures and odor nuisances.

The court approved a mediation agreement that will lead to the upgrade and expansion of the Timorim wastewater treatment plant by 2029, enabling the facility to treat twice the amount of sewage and adding new reservoirs. The agreement follows a class action filed by bathers and surfers on Ashdod beaches against the authorities responsible for the treatment plant: the Be'er Tuvia Regional Council, the Tamar water corporation, and Moshav Timorim. The plaintiffs claimed that pollution spilled from the reservoir reached the sea via the Lachish River, causing severe odor nuisances and the closure of Ashdod's northern beaches for swimming and water sports. The Ministry of Health banned the use of the effluent due to poor quality, leading to sewage overflow into the Ella stream and then into the Lachish River. Under the settlement, the T.M.R. corporation committed to investing in increasing the reservoir's capacity to 30,000 cubic meters per day and operating two additional reservoirs: one for receiving and treating 10,000 cubic meters, and an emergency reservoir for 40,000 cubic meters per day. T.M.R., jointly owned by cities in the southern Shfela and the Lachish region, Ramla, Gedera, and Kiryat Malakhi, and Moshav Bnei Ayish, took responsibility for the facility in 2018. The Be'er Tuvia Regional Council rejected the claims, while T.M.R. stated it is not responsible for malfunctions before 2018.