Israel: Kinneret Basin Authority formed to revive area

The Kinneret Basin Authority was established this week to protect the soil in the region surrounding Israel's largest freshwater source.

Lake Kinneret has long been an environmental concern due to its receding water level, and most recently, last week's forced closing of its public beaches due to sewage contamination of the water.

The new authority, chaired by Lower Galilee Regional Council mayor Moti Dotan, is not anticipated to incur any costs. Instead it is expected to save approximately NIS 55 million a year by precluding the need to extensively clean the surrounding rivers annually, and by preventing water runoff which will enable local farmers to preserve the water and reuse it, relieving some of the pumping strain already on the Kinneret itself.