Jerusalem pilot project to treat and reuse mikve water

System at cost of NIS 230,000 would save 100,000-120,000 cubic meters annually.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
Moriah, the Jerusalem Municipality’s development company, will begin installing a water treatment system in a ritual bath (mikve) in the northeastern Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood to recycle the water, once it receives final approval from the Health Ministry.
The ministry has given the green light to the pilot project, the first of its kind, and the company is awaiting final approval before beginning construction. Moriah has been working on the initiative for the last year and a half.
If such systems were to be installed in all of the 35 ritual baths in Jerusalem, it would save 100,000-120,000 cubic meters of water annually as well as NIS 1 million, the company said.
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The pilot project will run for several months while Health Ministry inspectors sample the water quality.
Inspectors will be able to view water quality data online. The water will be treated and restored to the ritual bath at the end of each day.
The pilot is a joint project of the Religious Buildings Department of the municipality’s Public Buildings Branch, the Jerusalem Religious Council and the Health Ministry. All relevant Jewish laws regarding ritual baths will be adhered to.
The system will cost NIS 200,000-230,000 to install and is expected to save NIS 30,000 in each ritual bath.
“In the reality in which we live where every drop of water is precious, water treatment and recycling systems in ritual baths are of utmost importance,” Alex Weissman, Moriah’s CEO, said in a statement, “We believe that the pilot will succeed and Jerusalem will become a model for other cities in water conservation.”


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