Israel Inks Deal To Provide Water Technologies To Drought-Ridden Southern California

By David Shamah, The Times of Israel September 20, 2015 2 minutes

drought

This article was first published on The Times of Israel and was re-posted with permission.

The rains may have finally come to Southern California in recent weeks, but officials know they can no longer rely on the vagaries of nature to ensure a proper water supply and are looking to Israel for help.

In an agreement signed earlier in September, LA County will work with Israel to study Israeli water technology, seeking the most appropriate systems to be used in the county to conserve water resources.

“The technology Israel has developed and employed to stretch its meager water resources is truly impressive,” said LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “I look forward to working together on ways that Los Angeles County can benefit from their work on technology and research concerning point of reuse, recycling and groundwater recharge. ”

LA County, which encompasses the City of Los Angeles and dozens of other cities and towns, has nearly 10 million residents; nearly a quarter of all California residents. About half the county’s population gets its water from a network of municipal reservoirs and sources, but the other half gets it water from private water systems – many of them drawing from groundwater. These systems are, according to a recent UCLA study, vulnerable to contamination, limited supply, or inability to supply current and projected demand.

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Israeli expertise to solve California’s ongoing water problems

The agreement with LA County is the latest in a series of deals in which California has drawn on Israeli know-how and experience to solve the state’s ongoing water problems.

In March 2014, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a deal with California Governor Jerry Brown to export Israeli desalination, water recovery and recycling, water filtration, and water security technology to the state.

“Through this agreement, California and Israel will build on their respective strengths in research and technology to confront critical problems we both face, such as water scarcity, cybersecurity and climate change,” said Brown.