Drinking the Sea

1For most of its history, Israel has been a thirsty country. Rain falls only in winter, and in the south almost no rain falls at all. For decades, Israelis were told to save every drop, and every dry winter brought worried headlines about the falling level of the Sea of Galilee. Today the situation is very different, and the reason lies just off the coast: the Mediterranean Sea.

2Since the early 2000s, Israel has built several large desalination plants along its coast. These plants take in seawater and remove the salt, turning it into water that is safe to drink. The first major plant opened in Ashkelon in 2005, and others followed in Hadera, Palmachim, Sorek and Ashdod. Together, they now provide most of the water that flows from household taps in Israel.

3Most of the plants use a method called reverse osmosis. First, the seawater is cleaned of sand, seaweed and other large particles. Then it is pushed at very high pressure through special membranes, thin sheets with holes so tiny that water molecules can pass through them but salt cannot. Fresh water collects on one side of the membrane, while a very salty liquid called brine is left on the other.

4Desalination has changed Israel's relationship with water. The country now has enough water even in years of drought, and it even supplies water to neighboring Jordan. Farmers, factories and families no longer depend entirely on the rain.

5However, the technology is not without problems. Pushing water through membranes requires enormous amounts of electricity, much of which still comes from burning natural gas. The brine, which is returned to the sea, can harm marine life near the pipes if it is not spread out properly. There is also a health question: desalinated water lacks minerals such as magnesium, which people usually get partly from their drinking water.

6Experts agree that desalination is not a magic solution. Saving water, fixing leaking pipes and recycling waste water remain essential, and Israel already reuses close to ninety percent of its waste water, mostly for farming. Still, for a country that once feared running dry, the sea has become an unexpected friend.