Water storage in the Negev

A sophisticated system for conserving and storing water has been developed in the Negev. The system stores and uses separately clean high quality water, water which has been used and then recycled (used preferentially for agriculture) and water which is slightly saline (used for crops which can tolerate slightly saline water).

The top photo shows Naomi and Ornat Morag at a reservoir near the Besor River. The reservoir holds up to 4,000,000 cubic meters of water. The central photo shows the water capturing system along the Besor River. Rather than a dam, to hold and capture water, some of the water which comes down the river after a rain is diverted into a holding pond and then pumped into the reservoir or into irrigation channels. The bottom photo shows irrigated fruit trees growing nearby.