18.01.2012                      23.Tewet. 5772

Umwelt:

Study finds most Tel Aviv area wells too polluted to draw drinking water

Of 166 wells operating in 1980, only 96 were still in operation as of 2011; contaminants are industrial in origin.

Almost two thirds of drinking-water wells in the greater Tel Aviv area have been declared too contaminated for use, according to a recent study.
The data, collected by the Health Ministry and the Water Authority, show that in 1980 there were 166 wells, fed by the coastal aquifer, which provided a good deal of the drinking water to the big cities in the Tel Aviv area. As of the end of 2011, 96 of them were out of operation, mostly because of contamination. The contaminants are industrial in origin, particularly from armaments production, use of fertilizers and pesticides, and contaminated sludge seeping into the ground….