After six years of work and an investment of approximately NIS 2.5 billion, the Mekorot water company has inaugurated a new water transmission system for Jerusalem
Mekorot officially inaugurated the city’s fifth system on Monday to replace the fourth system launched in 1994 that has been used until today as the main water transmission infrastructure for Jerusalem and the surrounding communities. The inaugural event took place in Ein Kerem with the attendance of Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, Energy and Water Minister Karin Elharrar, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, heads of local councils and Mekorot company executives.
The new water transmission system is one of the largest infrastructure projects completed this year and the most prominent of its kind in the local water sector. Mekorot and its Shaham subsidiary built the system. The project was previously defined by the government as a national infrastructure project and received the endorsement of the Water Authority. The system is expected to serve as the main water artery for the capital settlements that surround it until the year 2060.
A number of reasons were cited for the establishment of the new system, including exhaustion of the transmission capacity of the previous system, the needs of the city and its surrounding communities in the coming years, dealing with climate change, accelerated dehydration and the desire to maintain quality of life at an adequate level for residents of the area.
The works at the site included the cutting of a 13-km. (eight-mile) water tunnel through the Jerusalem mountains, moving optical fibers near the water lines, immediately monitoring the infrastructure and water pressure as well as complete landscape restoration. With completion of the works, the state now has a transmission system with a diameter of three meters (10 feet) that will transport desalinated seawater from Israel’s coastline to the homes of the residents of the capital city and the surrounding areas.
The initial water transfer capacity will be approximately 150 million cubic meters per year. It will increase gradually to a peak of about 450 million cubic meters, a volume that is equivalent to about 75% of the total amount of current seawater desalination for all households in the country.