Legal Framework for Water Protection
Updated: 19/01/2005
The Water Law of 1959 establishes the framework for the control and protection of Israel's water resources. The law states that all water sources in Israel are public property and that every person is entitled to use water, as long as that use does not cause the salination or depletion of the water resource. In 1971, the law was amended to include prohibitions against direct or indirect water pollution, regardless of the state of the water beforehand. The Minister of the Environment is authorized to protect water quality, to prevent water pollution, and to promulgate regulations on these issues.
Regulations promulgated pursuant to the Water Law include:- Prohibitions on the rinsing of containers, used for spraying of chemical and biological substances, into water sources;
- Prohibitions on aerial spraying of chemical and biological agents for agricultural purposes near surface water sources;
- Restrictions on the use of cesspools and septic tanks; conditions for the establishment and operation of gas stations to prevent fuel leaks;
- Requirements for evaporation ponds and reservoirs;
- Regulations on the reduction of salt use in industrial water-softening processes and on the discharge of brines;
- Regulations on protecting water sources from heavy metals and other pollutants by limiting the volume of wastewater discharged from pollution sources and reducing pollutant concentrations;
- Regulations on sewage disposal from vessels, which are largely aimed at preventing pollution in Lake Kinneret.
- Regulations on the pH values of industrial sewage, which are aimed to prevent the pollution of water sources from the impacts of corrosion.
- Regulations on the use of sludge aimed at preventing pollution as a result of improper treatment of sludge.
The Ministry of Health is responsible for the quality of drinking water within the framework of Regulations Concerning the Sanitary Quality of Drinking Water under the Public Health Ordinance. A 1995 regulation establishes conditions for drilling water wells including quality assessment based on microbial and chemical tests and establishment of three protection zones around drinking water wells in which different types of activities are prohibited. Israel's amended regulations (2000) on drinking water, within the framework of the Public Health Ordinance, set limits on concentrations of various chemicals and microbes in drinking water and specify requirements for sampling and testing.
Rules promulgated under the Public Health Ordinance in 1981 specify the treatment required for wastewater, and list the crops suitable for effluent irrigation in accordance with the treatment level.
The Local Authorities Sewage Law of 1962 prescribes the rights and duties of local authorities in the design, construction and maintenance of sewage systems. This law requires each local authority to maintain its sewage system in proper condition. The Streams and Springs Authorities Law, 1965, empowers the Minister of the Environment to establish an authority for a particular stream or part of a stream, spring, or other water source. The functions of such authorities include nuisance abatement and pollution prevention. Authorities for the Yarkon and Kishon rivers have been established under this law. Extensive use is made of the Licensing of Businesses Law to implement requirements on industrial effluent treatment in various industries (e.g. textiles, food and metal) and in the treatment of wastes generated by dairy farms. Business licensing regulations on salt concentrations in industrial sewage, which were promulgated in 2003, set threshold values for chlorides, sodium, fluorides and boron before being discharged to wastewater treatment plants.
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