Hagihon Ltd. (Hebrew: הגיחון) is the

municipal water Tap water (also known as faucet water, running water, or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

and waste water works corporation for the city of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, Israel. Since 2010, Hagihon also services the neighboring towns of

Mevaseret Zion Mevaseret Zion ( he, מְבַשֶּׂרֶת צִיּוֹן, literal meaning: Herald of Zion – Jerusalem) is a suburb of Jerusalem with the administrative status of a local council. Mevaseret Zion is composed of two distinct older townships, Mao ...

and

Abu Gosh Abu Ghosh ( ar, أبو غوش; he, אבו גוש) is an Arab-Israeli local council in Israel, located west of Jerusalem on the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem highway. It is situated 610–720 meters above sea level. It takes its current name from the d ...

. Hagihon is Israel's largest water and sewage authority with a yearly budget of over 600 million shekels. Hagihon was founded in 1996 by the municipality of Jerusalem and operates as an independent corporation by the authority of the Water & Sewage Corporations Law. Hagihon became officially independent from the municipality of Jerusalem in 2003. Since 2014, Hagihon's Chairman of the board of is

Avi Balashnikov Avraham (Avi) Balashnikov ( he, אברהם (אבי) בלשניקוב, born March 20, 1966) is an Israeli public figure, currently serves as Chairman of College of Management Academic Studies and the representative of the American businessman Rona ...

. Hagihon provides water and sewage services to ~1 million residents of the greater Jerusalem area including

East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...

and

, spanning 32,500 acres. Hagihon was one of the first large water works systems to install smart sensors for early detection of leaks. Hagihon's name is taken from ancient Jerusalem's main water source, the

Gihon Spring Gihon Spring () or Fountain of the Virgin, also known as Saint Mary's Pool, A.H. Sayce, "The Inscription at the Pool of Siloam," ''Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement'' 13.2 (April 1881): ( editio princeps), p72/ref> is a spring in the ...

Sorek wastewater plant

Through its daughter company MAVTI (the Jerusalem Company for Sewage and Treatment Plants), Hagihon runs three

waste treatment Waste treatment refers to the activities required to ensure that waste has the least practicable impact on the environment. In many countries various forms of waste treatment are required by law. Solid waste treatment The treatment of solid wastes ...

plants, the largest being the Sorek-Rephaim sewage treatment plant, inaugurated in 1999. The Sorek plant is the third largest wase water treatment plant in Israel and treats over 100,000 Cubic Meters of wastewater per day. Wastewater from the

Rephaim In the Hebrew Bible, as well as non-Jewish ancient texts from the region, the Northwest Semitic term Rephaite or Repha'im (cf. the plural word in he, רְפָאִים, rəfāʾīm; Phoenician: ') refers either to a people of greater-than-averag ...

sewage basin is directed to the Sorek basin through the

Kerem tunnel Kerem Tunnel (Hebrew: מנהרת כרם, ''Minheret Kerem'') is a tunnel in southwest Jerusalem, Israel. It is currently the only cycling tunnel in Israel. The tunnel was originally built in the 1990s by Hagihon (Jerusalem's water company) to run ...

under Mount

Ora ORA or Ora may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film * Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress * ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011 * ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012 * "Ora" ...

. From the Sorek basin, the water is carried to the Sorek treatment plant. At the Sorek plant waste water is treated using the

activated sludge The activated sludge process is a type of biological wastewater treatment process for treating sewage or industrial wastewaters using aeration and a biological floc composed of bacteria and protozoa. It uses air (or oxygen) and microorganisms ...

method.

Organic matter Organic matter, organic material, or natural organic matter refers to the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have c ...

is separated using microorganisms and used to produce

methane gas Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...

, which supplies 70% of the plant's electricity requirements. The debris remaining from the organic matter are used as a

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

. The treated water flows into the Sorek river bed in the area of Kibbutz

Tzora Tzora ( he, צָרְעָה) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about 20 km from Jerusalem, near the city of Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In it had a population of . Etymology The kibbu ...

, where it is utilized for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

5th water line to Jerusalem

A 5th water line to Jerusalem is planned to be completed by

Mekorot Mekorot ( he, מקורות, lit. "Sources") is the national water company of Israel and the country's top agency for water management. Founded in 1937, it supplies Israel with 90% of its drinking water and operates a cross-country water supply ne ...

by the year 2065. To store and regulate water from the 5th line, Hagihon plans to build a water reservoir at the Jerusalem

Sacher park Sacher Park (Hebrew: גן סאקר) is the largest public park in the center of Jerusalem,East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...

neighborhoods situated behind the separation barrier, Ras Hamis, Ras Shahada, Dahyat a-Salam and the Shu'afat Refugee Camp, petitioned the

Israeli supreme court The Supreme Court (, ''Beit HaMishpat HaElyon''; ar, المحكمة العليا) is the Supreme court, highest court in Israel. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all other courts, and in some cases original jurisdiction. The Supreme C ...

to force Hagihon to restore full water supply to the area. In response, Hagigon spokesman claimed that the rapid growth, lack of proper urban planning and rampant use of unauthorized "pirated" pipes in east Jerusalem have overwhelmed the infrastructure. As of 2018, only ~44% of East Jerusalem residents were connected to the Haghion water network in a regulated and legal fashion. Seasonal flooding due to poor drainage systems is also common across East Jerusalem. Palestinian civil rights organizations have accused Hagihon of illegally appropriating large water quantities from Palestinians. Kidron stream restoration Currently, part of East Jerusalem's and the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

's sewage water flows freely into the Kidron stream causing severe environmental damage in the

Judean desert The Judaean Desert or Judean Desert ( he, מִדְבַּר יְהוּדָה, Midbar Yehuda}, both ''Desert of Judah'' or ''Judaean Desert''; ar, صحراء يهودا, Sahraa' Yahuda) is a desert in Palestine and Israel that lies east of Jerusal ...

and the

Dead sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank ...

area. In a rare collaboration with the Palestinian Authority, Hagihon is leading the Kidron stream restoration project with a budget of close to a billion shekels. According to the plan the sewage flow to the stream will be stopped and diverted to a new collection line, through an 8-km long pipe to the Og purification facility. To avoid damage to the natural valley as well as to the

Mar Saba Monastery The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, known in Arabic and Syriac as Mar Saba ( syr, ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܣܒܐ, ar, دير مار سابا; he, מנזר מר סבא; el, Ἱερὰ Λαύρα τοῦ Ὁσίου Σάββα τοῦ Ἡγιασμέ� ...

and nearby archeological sites, the route of the sewage line was diverted from the stream itself, through a 60 meter deep, 1.3 km long tunnel. The project also includes the construction of a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

station to generate green electricity. The

purified water Purified water is water that has been mechanically filtered or processed to remove impurities and make it suitable for use. Distilled water was, formerly, the most common form of purified water, but, in recent years, water is more frequently puri ...

will be used for agriculture and irrigation of palm groves in the

Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...

and the Palestinian Authority.{{Cite web , title=How is Jerusalem's sewage regulated? - new report , url=https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-712429 , access-date=2022-09-28 , website=The Jerusalem Post {{! JPost.com , language=en-US

References

Jerusalem District Jerusalem Water supply and sanitation in Israel Utilities of Israel Israeli companies established in 1996

Sorek wastewater plant

5th water line to Jerusalem

Further reading

References