Water was never plentiful in Israel, but today, the growing population and impact of climate change are making it more scarce than ever.  KKL-JNF has taken on the challenge, and runs a wide variety of projects to support and enhance Israel’s water resources. For example, we build dams to harvest floodwaters, and create reservoirs for rainwater and recycled water that support irrigation, fisheries, and recreation. Benefitting both the environment and the economy, recycled water reservoirs preserve precious freshwater for domestic use while preventing pollution. In fact, Israel leads the world in the proportion of water it recycles for agriculture, and KKL-JNF is proud to be behind that impressive statistic.

And that’s not all—KKL-JNF is involved in promoting water-sensitive cities, including bio-filter technology for harvesting urban runoff and constructed wetlands. A prime example of a constructed wetland is that at the Yarkon River, where purified water from the Kfar Saba and Hod HaSharon sewage treatment plant is pumped into shallow pools that continue the purification process biologically, contributing to the rehabilitation of the formerly polluted Yarkon River. Biofilter technology is also used to harvest and recycle urban runoff—rainwater laced with pollutants that otherwise flood city streets.

KKL-JNF also plays a central role in rehabilitating Israel’s natural water sources and wetlands such as the unique aquatic habitat in the Hula Valley. The valley plays an important role in preventing pollutants from reaching the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s major water source of water for domestic use.