Algal Bloom Shuts Down Five Israeli Desalination Plants

Five of Israel's six Mediterranean desalination plants shut down starting Saturday after an algal bloom, likely originating near the Nile Delta, caused severe seawater turbidity. The Israeli Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure reported that the microalgae prevented facilities from filtering water normally, creating a potential shortfall of 85,000 cubic meters per hour. This level of turbidity is the most extreme the country has seen in 20 years.

To maintain 90 percent of summer supply capacity, the national water company Mekorot increased pumping from the Sea of Galilee and other natural sources. While Energy Minister Eli Cohen stated that home supplies remain sufficient, the government restricted water for public landscaping and beach showers in Tel Aviv. Significant cuts were applied to farmers in the Negev and Nitzana regions, prompting the Israel's Farmers Federation to warn of irreversible crop damage.

While the Israel National Cyber Directorate confirmed the outages were not the result of a cyberattack, the disruptions caused water outages and reduced pressure in Jerusalem, Givatayim, and Arad. Only the Hadera plant remained fully operational, though Minister Cohen indicated that the Palmachim and Sorek A plants would be restarted. A 2024 State Comptroller report noted 14 similar contamination incidents occurred between 2007 and 2023.

Separately, the Military of Israel bombed a desalination plant in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City on August 24. Israel alleged the site was adjacent to a weapons storage facility, while the plant's owner, Mohammed Mahmoud, asserted it was a civilian station providing free water to 17 shelters.