Lake Kinneret statistics - Updated: 25/02/2009
Source: ISRAEL Ministry of Environmental Protection http://www.sviva.gov.il
Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee), which divides the upper and lower portions of the Jordan River System, is the only natural freshwater lake in Israel. It has traditionally provided about a third of the country’s domestic, agricultural and industrial water requirements.
Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee)
| Kinneret catchment basin: | 2,730 square kilometers |
| Surface area of the lake: | 165 square kilometers |
| Mean depth: | 25 meters |
| Maximum depth: | 44 meters |
| Maximal volume: | 4.3 billion cubic meters |
| Length of coastlines: | 55 kilometers |
| Length from north to south: | 21 km |
| Length from west to east: | 12 km |
| Storage volume: | 710 million cubic meters |
| Upper red line: | -213 meters below sea level |
| Lower red line: | -208.9 meters below sea level |
| Black line: | -214.87 |
Lake Kinneret is the lowest freshwater lake in the world. The total average annual inflow of water into Lake Kinneret from its catchment basin amounts to a billion cubic meters, of which some 250 MCM serve consumers in the region, about 450 MCM are withdrawn from the lake to serve consumers throughout the country by means of the National Water Carriet and about 300 MCM are lost by evaporation.
Water levels in the lake, fluctuating in accordance with its use in the national water system and the amount of precipitation and inflow, have varied between 213 and 208.9 meters below sea level for several decades. However, due to the continuous drop in water levels since 1996, the Water Commissioner has lowered the minimum “red line” for limited periods of time to minus 214 meters in 2000, minus 215.5 meters in 2001 and minus 214.87 meters, which was defined as the black line in 2008. The risks associated with reduced water levels are formidable: ecosystem instability and deterioration of water quality, damage to nature and landscape assets, receding shorelines and adverse impacts on tourism and recreation. When the black line is reached, the pumps in the lake can no longer operate.
According to the Water Authority, Lake Kinneret lost 5.13 meters since the spring of 2004, equivalent to some 850 million cubic meters of water.
In light of the Kinneret’s dropping water level, the Israel Water Authority launched a major water conservation campaign in 2008, titled “Going from Red to Black.” The campaign relates to the constantly declining level of the Kinneret’s water level, which dropped below the “red line” in the summer of 2008.
