180
D. Markel and U. Shamir
The large increase in human activities in the drainage basin over the past 50
years has led to the appearance of various diffuse sources of pollutants, including
agricultural, industrial, and anthropogenic sewage sources. Superimposed on these
were the drainage of swamps in the Hula Valley and the diversion of the Jordan
River from its historical route through the 1950s. Since 1994 there has been a
noticeable change in water quality in Lake Kinneret, mainly regarding the
population of algae (Berman 1996b). It is reasonable that these changes are related
to the increased input of pollutants from the watershed and the changes in water
level. Accordingly, concern for water quality in the lake has led to the creation of
an extensive water quantity and quality monitoring system.
2 The Organizational Setup
The responsibility for managing Lake Kinneret resides with the Water
Commissioner, the senior government official in charge of water in the country.
The Water Commission belongs to the Ministry of National Infrastructure, but it is
also guided by instructions from a number of other Ministries. Mekorot Water
Company is responsible for the supply from the lake, through the National Water
Carrier to the south of the country, and by several local water systems to
consumers in and around the watershed. The organizations involved in monitoring
and managing Lake Kinneret and its watershed and their roles and responsibilities
are (Fig. 3):
Hydrologic Service - flows in the watershed and lake water levels.
Alon Laboratory of the National Oceanographic and Limnologic Organization
(KLL) - chemical and biological water quality in the lake.
Mekorot Kinneret Watershed Unit - water quality in the watershed's
waterways, and volume, salinity and energy balance in the lake.
MIGAL - a private regional research institute and laboratory - herbicides,
pesticides and organic contamination in the watershed.
- The Kinneret Authority - supervision over activities in the watershed, around,
on and in the lake.
- The Kinneret Lake and Watershed Monitoring Task Force - appointed by the
Water Commissioner to coordinate and supervise the monitoring and analysis
activities of the other bodies, and assist in converting the findings into
operational decisions by the Water Commissioner.
The Water Commissioner set up the Monitoring Task Force in 1998, following
several reports critical of the monitoring situation, to coordinate and guide the
work of all organizations. The task force responsibilities are:
- To create a mechanism for planning, operating, analyzing, and reporting of the
monitoring results.
- To secure integration and coordination among all organizations and
components of the monitoring system.
D. Markel and U. Shamir
The large increase in human activities in the drainage basin over the past 50
years has led to the appearance of various diffuse sources of pollutants, including
agricultural, industrial, and anthropogenic sewage sources. Superimposed on these
were the drainage of swamps in the Hula Valley and the diversion of the Jordan
River from its historical route through the 1950s. Since 1994 there has been a
noticeable change in water quality in Lake Kinneret, mainly regarding the
population of algae (Berman 1996b). It is reasonable that these changes are related
to the increased input of pollutants from the watershed and the changes in water
level. Accordingly, concern for water quality in the lake has led to the creation of
an extensive water quantity and quality monitoring system.
2 The Organizational Setup
The responsibility for managing Lake Kinneret resides with the Water
Commissioner, the senior government official in charge of water in the country.
The Water Commission belongs to the Ministry of National Infrastructure, but it is
also guided by instructions from a number of other Ministries. Mekorot Water
Company is responsible for the supply from the lake, through the National Water
Carrier to the south of the country, and by several local water systems to
consumers in and around the watershed. The organizations involved in monitoring
and managing Lake Kinneret and its watershed and their roles and responsibilities
are (Fig. 3):
Hydrologic Service - flows in the watershed and lake water levels.
Alon Laboratory of the National Oceanographic and Limnologic Organization
(KLL) - chemical and biological water quality in the lake.
Mekorot Kinneret Watershed Unit - water quality in the watershed's
waterways, and volume, salinity and energy balance in the lake.
MIGAL - a private regional research institute and laboratory - herbicides,
pesticides and organic contamination in the watershed.
- The Kinneret Authority - supervision over activities in the watershed, around,
on and in the lake.
- The Kinneret Lake and Watershed Monitoring Task Force - appointed by the
Water Commissioner to coordinate and supervise the monitoring and analysis
activities of the other bodies, and assist in converting the findings into
operational decisions by the Water Commissioner.
The Water Commissioner set up the Monitoring Task Force in 1998, following
several reports critical of the monitoring situation, to coordinate and guide the
work of all organizations. The task force responsibilities are:
- To create a mechanism for planning, operating, analyzing, and reporting of the
monitoring results.
- To secure integration and coordination among all organizations and
components of the monitoring system.