Israel Matzav: Water usage declines by... 13.5%

Water usage declines by... 13.5%

Water usage in Israel has dropped by 13.5% this summer, as Israelis attempt to avoid a NIS 20 ($5) surcharge per cubic meter over their allotments as a result of a drought caused partly by government negligence.

The government has been taxing the bejoobles out of water and broadcasting scary toilet-flushing sounds with pretty Israeli women warning how every toilet flush contributes to the flushing of the Kinneret into the Mediterranean Sea. Sounds silly, but the sad thing is, it’s true. The good news is that water consumption for July went down from 73 million cubic meters last year to 63 this year.

This is especially good since water consumption in the summer months generally increases. This year, it actually stayed flat. So far, 70 million cubic meters have been saved, and the Water Authority is hoping to get that number up to 120 million before the onset of the winter rainy season.

To get a picture of where we are, the Kinneret is currently at 213.89 meters below sea level. The red line, meaning the lowest the Kinneret can go before being endangered with salt water intrusion, is 213 below sea level. We are, currently, about a meter below that already, with 2 months to go before the first rains can even begin to get here. The final black line is 215 below, at which point salt water intrusion becomes a definite, and the lake becomes salinated for decades, and 60% of our drinking water becomes virtually unusable.

This is why conserving is so critically important, especially now. We have at least 60 more days until rains come, and with the lake going down 1-4 centimeters a day, we’re getting really, REALLY close to that black line.

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Israel Matzav: Water usage declines by... 13.5%