MEKOROT WATER COMPANY

Mekorot Water Company: translation

Formed in 1937 by theJewish Agency,Jewish National Fund, andHistadrut, Merkorot was mandated to supply, store, and distribute water for irrigation and domestic use to theYishuv. The government of Israel became a partner in 1956, and in 1959, the corporation was chartered as the National Water Authority. Its activities included the search for new sources of water through drilling, the transport of water to arid zones of the country, and the conservation of water. Mekorot's crowning achievement was theNational Water Carrier, an 81-mile pipeline project initiated in 1953 and completed in 1964 that carried water from theJordan Riverand Lake Kinneret in the north to southern Israel and theNegev. Today, Mekorot supplies 1.3 cubic meters of water per year, which accounts for 90 percent of Israel's drinking water and 70 percent of all the water supply in the country. In addition, the company concentrates increased attention on water desalination, waste water reclamation and reuse, flood water capture, and water quality.