BREAKING NEWS

Weekend showers do little for the Kinneret

The weekend rains brought only a slight increase to Lake Kinneret’s water levels and did not appreciably alter the water-strapped condition of the country, the Water Authority said Saturday. No more than 20 mm of rain fell and in most places, totals were closer to 10-15 mm.
The storm wasn’t enough to get the streams that feed into Lake Kinneret flowing, and the lake itself only rose 1.5 cm from direct rainfall. Since the beginning of winter, the Kinneret has risen 13 cm, while it usually rises 160 cm by mid-January. Moreover, the Kinneret only rose 1.5 cm even though Mekorot, the national water company, has stopped pumping for routine maintenance. The lake is missing five meters and 19 cm of water to be full, and the water level is at 213.99 below sea level – 99 centimeters below the bottom red line.