Signs of recovery: Five desalination plants return to operation

The Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure announced that five of the six major desalination plants have resumed operations, but four are operating partially due to fluctuations in water turbidity. The chemical experiment to treat algae off the coast of Ashkelon did not yield a significant change. Increased pumping from the Sea of Galilee and aquifers continues, and the Sea of Galilee's water level is dropping.

The Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure published an official update on the state of the water sector: five of the six major desalination plants have resumed operations, but only the Hadera plant is operating at full capacity. The other four plants — Ashkelon, Palmachim, Shorq A, and Shorq B — are operating partially due to fluctuations in water turbidity. The chemical experiment that dispersed a copper-based disinfectant off the coast of Ashkelon did not bring about a significant change in the algal bloom, and there is no clear timeline for its end. Mekorot is operating an emergency system of increased pumping from the Sea of Galilee and aquifers to compensate for the decline in desalination. The Sea of Galilee's water level stands at -213.36 meters, a drop of 4 cm since September 3, and it is 36.5 cm below the lower red line. The project to pump desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee has been temporarily frozen. The event, which began in late August 2026 following a bloom of cyanobacteria, is defined as one of the largest environmental infrastructure crises in recent years.