Jazreel regional sewage

The Project initiated, designed and managed by the Pilgei-Maim, within the general framework of cooperation with different municipalities in Jezreel Valley, on different projects.

Goals for the project:

• Identification of sources of wastewater and effluents in the Jezreel Valley.
• Creating a regional solution for all sewage flowing into the valley.
• Construction of wastewater treatment plants to obtain the quality of the effluents required to enter the main reservoirs.
• Utilizing existing irrigation water reservoirs for both containment and treatment of the effluents.
• Implementing the plan by the shortest schedule possible.

Working method:

• Cooperating with several municipalities to implement each of the sewage treatment plants.
• Locating optimal locations for construction of each sewage treatment plant.
• Reducing costs to the municipalities (the sewage sources) in order to make it easier for them to contribute to the project.
• increase system reliability by Reducing operating costs.
• Managing sewage flow to the reservoirs in order to reach the required settling time.
• Establishing a management and operation company for the entire system.
• Constructing a control system to manage the flow.

Stages of the project:

1990 – Planning stage – Presentation of master plan.

1992 – Completion of master plan. Beginning preparation of detailed plan.

1993 – Construction of the Tel-Adashim plant.

1995 – Beginning operation of the Tel-Adashim sewage treatment plant. Construction of the Ramat-Yishai sewage treatment plant.

1996 – Beginning operation of the Ginnegar plant – laying of first section.

1998 – Beginning operation of the Ha’Solelim plant.

1999 – Beginning operation of the Yokneam plant, operation of the Dovrat plant, and completion of pipeline segments.

2000 – Opening the pipe-line from Tel-Adashim to Yokne’am.

2001-2003 – Addition of sub-sectors to the main pipe-line.

2005 – Laying of the Israel Electric Company line connecting the sewage treatment plants to power.

2006 – Laying the section connecting Tel-Adashim pipe-line to Dovrat, completion of the. Zarzir sewage treatment plant, completion of the Ma’ale-Iron facility.

2008 – Installation of connection to the Alon-Tavor combined-cycle power plant project.

2010 – Construction of Ha’Sargel reservoir and connection to Ha’Sargel pipe-line.

Main sewage sources

Nazareth, Nazareth Illit, Migdal HaEmek, Yokneam, Ramat Yishai, Tivon, Jezreel Valley, Ilut, Reina, Ein Mahal Iksal, Nin, Maale-Iron, Megiddo Regional Council and Alon-Tavor “Tnuva” Dairy factory.

*Amount of wastewater as at 2015 is 17 million m³/year.

Active sewage treatment plants:

Consumers of primary wastewater (for irrigation):

• Jezreel Valley Water Association
• Lower Galilee Water Association (“Mei Galil Tahton”)
• Israel Electric Company
• Tel-Ad (Tel Adashim) water association, Gazit water association, and others.

*40 reservoirs are connected to the project.

Conclusions

• High quality effluents can be achieved, even with simple aeration pools.
• It is possible to establish systems which provide an advantage to both the wastewater source (i.e. A city) and wastewater consumers (i.e. Farmers) without harming the environment.
• Large systems, which are beneficial to both sides, can be well-funded when established in cooperation with many authorities and many farmers, provided that there is an administrative and coordinating system
• Semi-intensive treatment facilities can function as planed for many years.
• The amount of sludge accumulating in the facilities and the filtering rate are lower than expected.
• Suspension of effluent a reservoir for at least 30 days drastically reduces the amount of pollutants.
• Existing control systems make it possible to operate large systems, which can include several treatment facilities and dozens of reservoirs