A river of waste flows into the reservoir Haaretz July 3, 2007 by Mijal Grinberg The pastoral ambience created by the plush vegetation along the Shikma stream is deceptive - the stream is supposed to be dry this time of year, and the greenery attests to the polluted wastewater that flows into it. During the rainy season, the Shikma brings floodwaters into the Shikma reservoir, the Mekorot Water Company's largest, where they trickle down to the coastal aquifer - the largest subterranean reservoir in Israel. The groundwater is pumped out and turned into drinking water, mainly for local consumers: the Rotenberg Power Station, industrial plants and the city of Ashkelon. Some of it is transfered to the main water supply system in the Negev. The Health Ministry is already warning of groundwater contamination at the Shikma reservoir because of irregularities at waste-treatment facilities in the areas next to the stream's flow - Sderot and Sha'ar Hanegev. The region is problematic as far as water is concerned, and the cost of treating industrial and household waste is higher than elsewhere. But who should shoulder most of the burden to maintain this site of national importance? Sderot, the industrial plants and kibbutzim in the Sha'ar Hanegev and Hof Ashkelon regional councils don't have the money. The government helps, but not enough to prevent the contamination. Mekorot is also sounding the alarm about the contamination, and demanding that it stop. The main problem stems from the major waste purification facilities in the region. Danny Regev is the director of the urban sewage union for Sderot-Sha'ar Hanegev. He knows the ins and outs of every waste treatment facility in the area. It's hard to take the stench at the industrial waste treatment plant. Danny takes the stairs up, explaining every part of the place. He can cite precisely how the water goes from the factories, through pipes, to the treatment center. He can also tell how the waste piped in, mainly from two plants, Negev Textiles and Off Kor, pollutes. The water is designated for irrigation, a tough issue in its own right. But come winter, the reservoir overflows and the contaminated water flows into the stream. That isn't the only reservoir in which this happens. The so-called "sanitary" facility, situated mostly in Sderot, handles household waste. It does not meet required standards either, and pollutes. Money has been transferred for a new facility by 2009. In the meantime, we wait. The industrial waste treatment facility does not have the necessary funds. Nor do some of the kibbutzim that need millions of shekels to build independent systems for piping their waste to the industrial treatment center. Sha'ar Henegev's council head, Alon Schuster, and Sderot's mayor, Eli Moyal, face an administrative hearing before the director of the Environmental Protection Ministry's southern district. The reason? Contaminated waste being piped into the stream. There are two main reasons why this is happening: The facilities can hold only a small volume of waste material, and the waste arriving from plants and communities in the area is being treated improperly. But enforcement and financing are no easy matter, either. "What are my options?" asks Schuster. "If we issue closure orders for factories, then workers go home. In the reality of Qassams, that is not something we can do." At Kibbutz Erez, 100 farmers need to come up with NIS 8 million for pipes to take their waste to the industrial facility. But the kibbutz is in dire straits, so nothing is being done and the pollution worsens. Regarding the factories, Danny Regev suggests that the state not only pay for proper waste treatment, but also carry it out. Dafna Zeira, of the environmental health department at Ashkelon's regional health bureau, is in charge of monitoring the water quality in reservoirs, as well as drinking water. She decides whether reservoir water may be used to irrigate crops, and which ones. It is Zeira who is warning that the current manner of treating waste is contaminating the drinking water in the Shikma reservoir. Like everyone else in this story, Zeira is in a bind. The reservoirs are overflowing because they do not meet existing needs, and the water in them is contaminated, even for irrigation. Zeira can forbid the water's use for irrigation, but then the water would continue to overflow, even more so, into the stream and wind up contaminating the drinking water. So the choice is between irrigating with contaminated water, or allowing it to flow into what will become everyone's drinking water. It is clear to Zeira that the only way out is to upgrade existing facilities.