Kinneret beaches to open Tuesday with notably high water level

A full Kinneret is preferable to a dry Kinneret— when the water reaches the lower ‘red line,’ at -213m.

 The Kinneret (photo credit: MEITAL SHARABI)
The Kinneret
(photo credit: MEITAL SHARABI)

Swimming season on beaches along Lake Kinneret will open on Tuesday— before the official opening of beach season in Israel— with the sea level notably high.

The sea level in Israel’s northern lake increased another half-centimeter from Sunday to Monday this week.

Its level currently stands at -209.43m, only 63cm below the upper ‘red line’, signaling that the lake is at its maximum capacity.

When the water reaches that line, Israel opens the Degania Dam.

A full vs. dry Kinneret

A full Kinneret is preferable to a dry Kinneret— when the water reaches the lower ‘red line,’ at -213m. When the sea level is this low, the ecological balance begins to suffer, and it is forbidden for Israelis to pump or use water from the lake.

 FISHING IN the Kinneret, Israel's only freshwater source. (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)
FISHING IN the Kinneret, Israel's only freshwater source. (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)

The temperature on the Kinneret shore was measured Monday at 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).