Following the rainy winter, the PA is preparing for the dam to open - for the first time in 25 years • Probably will not wait until the Sea of Galilee is completely filled, so as not to risk flooding
Kinneret // Photo: Gil Eliyahu / Ginny
Will the rains of blessing and the rise of the Sea of Galilee finally lead to the opening of the Degania Dam? The Water Authority has set a line of critical elevation points where the dam will be opened. The critical points were set according to time points during the remaining winter months until the end of April, and taking into account the level expected at these times.
As mentioned, the Water Authority has determined the points, according to the water level in the Sea of Galilee in the coming months. This is to prevent possible flooding in localities 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.
In the meeting held, the indices were defined according to which the points were determined 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 Red Line.
For example, it was determined that the Degania Dam would open if, at the end of February (on the 29th of February), the Sea of Galilee's forecast for the next five days would pass the 209.3-meter level, which is 50 centimeters below the upper red line.
Another landmark will be if on March 21, the Sea of Galilee's forecast for the next five days will pass 209.0 meters, which is 20 inches below the upper red line.
The decision was made with the understanding that the dam cannot be opened until the state, where the Sea of Galilee reaches the upper red line, which is 208.8 meters. This is because the rate of rise in the water level may be significantly faster than the ability to release water from the Sea of Galilee through the Degania Dam. The height of the Sea of Galilee was 209,995 meters this morning.
Degania dam, located in the southern part of the Sea of Galilee, regulates its flow of water south of the Jordan River and further down the Dead Sea. In a particularly rainy year, when the Sea of Galilee rises and approaches the upper red line, the water authority must decide whether to approve the opening of the dam in order to prevent flooding in the communities located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Through the open dam can flow up to 150 cubic meters (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 is beginning to occur. In addition, the release of water from the Sea of Galilee at Degania Dam can be relatively short flow events in other streams that drain into the southern Jordan - Nahal Harod, The Yarmouk River, etc. In order to minimize damage downstream of the Jordan River, the Water Authority plans to reduce the flow of water from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the infrastructure located down the Sea of Galilee.
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: "Determining accurate critical elevation points to open the Degania dam according to the lake's water level at various times is essential for proper preparedness to prevent flooding in communities near the Sea of Galilee, while maintaining our waters in the Sea of Galilee as an unparalleled resource for all of us. To prevent the dam from opening later in the winter, make sure to draw about a million cubic feet of water from the Sea of Galilee every day and deliver it to the national carrier. "