‘To ensure its future as a living river’: The operation to save the Yarkon estuary

A sandbar that has accumulated at the Yarkon River estuary in Tel Aviv is blocking the passage of water to the sea, harming water exchange, the ecosystem, and boating. A new research and monitoring project, in collaboration with the Yarkon River Authority, Tel Aviv Municipality, and research institutions, will examine the impact of the blockage and accompany its reopening. The project will include sampling, continuous monitoring, and citizen science, while the sand will be moved in an engineering operation to restore water flow.

A sandbar that has accumulated at the Yarkon River estuary in Tel Aviv is blocking the flow of water between the river and the sea, affecting water quality, the ecosystem, and boating activity in the area. The Yarkon River Authority explained that the westernmost part of the Yarkon, stretching from the Seven Mills to the sea, has undergone significant change in recent years. This section, known as the estuary, is the meeting point between fresh water and salty seawater, creating a unique habitat for fish, birds, and plants, as well as being a major boating area. In the past, the strong flow of the Yarkon pushed the sand far from the estuary, and later the cooling water of the Reading Power Station fulfilled that role. With its shutdown, sand began to accumulate and form a sandbar that changes according to waves and tides. The authority warned that the blockage makes it difficult for water to drain to the sea, until the section becomes effectively a closed lake, harming water exchange and potentially damaging the ecosystem, and preventing boaters from going out to sea. To address the change, a joint project has been launched by the Yarkon River Authority, Tel Aviv Municipality, the Estuary Research Center, the Faculty of Marine Sciences at Ruppin, the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, and the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University. The project aims to establish a scientific database for managing the estuary and its ecological restoration, and includes a comprehensive hydro-ecological monitoring plan, frequent sampling, continuous monitoring systems, and public participation in citizen science. In parallel, the sandbar will be opened in an engineering operation and the sand will be moved, and the data collected before and after will help examine the impact of the opening and predict extreme conditions. According to the project initiators, the goal is to maintain water exchange, protect the habitat, and allow continued boating activity, as part of efforts to ensure the future of the Yarkon as a living river.