To prevent flooding: The situations in which the Degania dam will open for water transfer from the Sea of Galilee
The Water Authority has determined a series of scenarios in which the Degania Dam will be opened. These conditions were defined following the rise of the Sea of Galilee in recent weeks, and in accordance with the time points and level during the remaining winter months. Director of the Water Authority: "A Necessary Step to Prepare to Prevent Flooding in Communities Near the Sea of Galilee"
To prevent flooding: The situations in which the Degania dam will open for water transfer from the Sea of Galilee
Photo: Shay Mizrahi, Kinneret AuthorityFollowing the rise in the Sea of Galilee in recent weeks, the Water Authority has set a series of critical water level points on Wednesday, which will be the order to open the Degania Dam. The critical points were defined according to time points during the remaining winter months, February to the end of April, and taking into account the level expected at these times.
The points to open the Degania Dam were determined to prevent possible flooding in the communities near the Sea of Galilee. The points were set today at a meeting of the Sea of Galilee staff headed by the water authority's manager, Giora Shaham. At the meeting, the parameters were defined, according to which the points for opening the dam with reference to a set date in the season, the release of water from the Sea of Galilee and the probability of not crossing the upper red line were determined.
For example, it was determined that the Degania Dam would open if at the end of February (on February 29) the Sea of Galilee forecast for the next five days would pass the 209.3-m level (50 cm below the upper red line). The next 5 days you will pass the 209.0-m level (20 cm below the upper red line).
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Degania dam (Photo: Eli Ashkenazi)
The points and scenarios in which the dam will open
Info points and scenarios where the Degania Dam will open, February 12, 2020 (Photo: Water Authority, official website)
The decision was made on the understanding that the dam cannot be opened until the Sea of Galilee reaches the upper red line, which is 208.8 m, because the rate of rise in the level may be significantly faster than the water discharge from the Sea of Galilee through the Degania Dam. This morning, the level of the Sea of Galilee was 209.995 m.
The Degania dam, located in the southern part of the Sea of Galilee, regulates the flow of the Sea of Galilee south to the Jordan River and further to the Dead Sea. In a particularly rainy year, as the Sea of Galilee rises and approaches the upper red line, the water authority must decide whether to approve the opening of the dam to prevent flooding in communities near the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Through the open dam can flow up to 150 cubic meters per second, this flow rate decreases by 7.5 centimeters at the level of the Sea of Galilee for a day. The water authority has taken into account that, at a rate of 150 cubic meters per second, damage to infrastructure and agricultural areas downstream of the Jordan River. In addition, at the same time releasing water from the Sea of Galilee at the Degania Dam, there may be relatively short flow events in other streams that drain into the southern Jordan such as Nahal Yavneel, Nahal Harod, the Yarmouk River and more. In order to minimize damage downstream of the Jordan River, the Water Authority is planning such a situation to reduce the flow of water from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea, thereby reducing the risk of damage to infrastructure located down the Sea of Galilee.
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To the full articleThe meeting where the points were set, by day (Photo: Water Authority)
Determination of Points and Scenarios Meeting at the Degania Dam, February 12, 2020 (Photo: Water Authority, official website)
The water authority is preparing to open the dam only on the assumption that the discharge from the dam will be 70 cubic meters per second. This flow, during parallel tidal waves as an example at Yarmouk, reduces the flow from the Sea of Galilee, thereby minimizing downstream damages.
Water Authority Director Giora Shaham said "Determining precise critical elevation points to open the Degania dam, according to the lake's water level at various times, is essential to properly prepare for preventing flooding in the communities near the Sea of Galilee, while maintaining our waters in the Sea of Galilee as an unparalleled resource." He added that "the Water Authority is making every effort to prevent the dam from opening later in the winter, and to do so draws daily about a million cubic feet of water from the Sea of Galilee and passes it on to the national carrier."
