Israel has imposed temporary water conservation measures after severe turbidity in the Mediterranean Sea forced most of the country’s major desalination plants to suspend operations.
The unusual disruption affected five of Israel’s six main desalination facilities, according to reports by Ynet and The Times of Israel. The Water Authority said the shutdowns were linked to deteriorated seawater conditions following recent weather and were not the result of a cyberattack.
The disruption has prompted authorities to reduce freshwater supplies to agriculture in southern Israel and suspend irrigation of public landscaping. Municipalities have also begun cutting back on nonessential water use.
In Tel Aviv, officials shut off water faucets at beaches and reduced water used for irrigation, beach showers and other services. The municipality said it remained in contact with Mekorot, Israel’s national water company, while monitoring the situation.
The Water Authority said the country’s water system remained under control, with Mekorot increasing production from available sources. However, the effects have been most noticeable among freshwater users in southern Israel, particularly farmers.
Ramat Negev Regional Council temporarily halted freshwater supplies for agricultural use, while the neighbouring Eshkol Regional Council called on farmers to immediately reduce their use of freshwater for agriculture and gardening. Farmers were reminded that recycled water supplied from the Shafdan wastewater treatment facility remained available for use.
The desalination disruptions began on Saturday but were not publicly announced until Monday. Water Authority Director General Yehezkel Lifshitz said temporary shutdowns of desalination facilities can occur because of malfunctions or maintenance, although he acknowledged that the scale of the current event was unusual.
“Those suffering at the moment are those consuming fresh water in the southern region,” Lifshitz said, according to Ynet.
Researchers are investigating what caused the unusually high levels of suspended material in the seawater. A preliminary assessment by the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute suggests that a large bloom of microscopic algae may have contributed to the problem.
Satellite imagery reportedly showed extensive algal activity near Egypt’s Nile Delta. Researchers believe ocean currents could have carried the material northward along the eastern Mediterranean coast toward Israel.
The algae are particularly problematic for desalination facilities because some organisms are small enough to pass through initial intake filters. The resulting material can clog membranes and interfere with the filtration process required to turn seawater into drinking water.
Researchers have collected samples near Ashkelon and Palmachim for further laboratory testing, including genetic analysis. Officials have not yet determined the specific algae species involved or whether they produce toxins.
Alon Zask, director general of the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute, said it would not be unusual for algae that developed near the Nile Delta to eventually reach Israel’s southern coastline. He also noted that the location and depth of a desalination plant’s seawater intake can influence how quickly it is affected.
Some facilities, however, continued operating. Desalination plants in Hadera and Eilat were not affected, while 20 smaller facilities operated by Mekorot also remained in service. Sorek A later resumed operations, providing some relief to the national water system.
Authorities have repeatedly stressed that the shutdowns were caused by seawater conditions rather than a cyber attack. The clarification came amid increased concern about cyber threats against water and other critical infrastructure following recent attacks blamed on Iran-linked hackers in the United States and Britain.
Israel relies heavily on desalination to meet its water needs. According to The Times of Israel, the country’s six major desalination plants can produce about 800 million cubic metres of water annually, while desalinated water accounts for a substantial share of the nation’s drinking-water supply.
The country also relies on recycled sewage water and brackish water, particularly for agriculture, alongside groundwater and other freshwater reserves.
Despite the disruption, the Water Authority said the national system remained stable and that teams were monitoring seawater quality. Officials said affected plants would be restarted once conditions improve.
The incident highlights the importance of desalination to Israel’s water security while demonstrating how environmental conditions can temporarily disrupt even a highly developed water-supply system.