Kinneret water level rises one cm. after weekend rains, remains 39 cm. below last year's height

The Kinneret's water level rose by just one centimeter over the weekend after record rainfall hit central and northern Israel, reaching 213.70 meters below sea level on Sunday, the Water Authority announced, with the lake still 39 centimeters lower than at the same time last year.Water Authority spokesperson Itay Dudi said approximately 20 millimeters of rain fell over the lake during the weekend, while the flow of the Jordan River stood at six cubic meters per second."

The effect of the rain on the river is still small to negligible," Dudi said, adding that most of the rainfall from the current weather system was concentrated along Israel's coastal plain, particularly in the south.Dudi added that, "Over the past decade, there were three winters with worse figures: Exactly one decade ago, the water level was 3 cm higher than it is today."

According to additional figures released by the Water Authority, the lake's current level is among the lowest recorded for November 8 over the past decade. In 2017, the water level was 58 centimeters lower than today, while in 2018, it was 94 centimeters lower.Kinneret water levels affected by desalination disruptionsThe latest figures follow a decline in the Kinneret in September, when disruptions at Israel's desalination plants forced authorities to pump more water from the lake to maintain the country's supply.As The Jerusalem Post previously reported, an algal bloom crisis forced desalination plants in southern Israel to shut down for nearly two weeks, prompting authorities to draw about 3.3 million cubic meters of water from the lake over 10 days.During that time, the Kinneret's water level dropped by 10 centimeters, reaching 213.50 meters below sea level on September 9, its lowest level for that date since 2018.The disruptions also temporarily reversed Israel's recent approach to managing the lake.

In recent years, the Reverse National Water Carrier project has transferred desalinated water into the Kinneret to replenish the reservoir.By September 10, all six desalination plants had resumed operations, although only the Hadera facility was operating at full capacity, while the remaining plants reportedly operated at about half capacity.Eli Ashkenazi contributed to this report.