Infrastructure

Five Israeli Desalination Plants Run at Half Output as Algae Disruption May Last Weeks

Published

Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of an aerial view of the Ashkelon desalination plant beside the Mediterranean Sea, with industrial buildings, tanks, pipes, and service roads.

Five of Israel's six desalination plants are operating at about half capacity as an unusually large Mediterranean algae bloom keeps seawater turbidity high. Water Authority Director Yehezkel Lipshitz said algae concentrations from Ashkelon to the Sharon coast are five times normal and non-toxic, but the turbidity could damage filtration membranes. The authority is preparing for the disruption to continue for several weeks and possibly through the end of 2026. Household supplies remain uninterrupted as the national system supplements desalinated water with Sea of Galilee and groundwater sources.

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