State of Israel Ministry of the Environment ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN April 2006 volume 30 Ministry of the Environment Cover Photo: Electricity Dead Sea Dror Nush and Air Quality 12 22 www.environment.gov.il 2005 at a Glance Dear Reader: Environmental achievements in 2005. 3 The April 006 Israel Environment "Clean Coast" Project: Facts and Figures Bulletin presents some of the main Measuring the results of the "Clean Coast" project. 8 environmental issues of 005. The first section provides a bird’s eye Regulating the Electricity Sector view of key achievements, while Draft regulations aim to prevent and abate air pollution from power plants. 1 subsequent pages present an in- depth look at some major issues Air Quality in Israel: 2005 - air quality trends, pollution A look at air quality trends shows some improvements 16 abatement in the electricity generation sector, risk and highlights focal points for action. management in the industrial sector, the future of the Risk Management – Confronting the Challenge Dead Sea, exposure to non-ionizing radiation, "Green Twenty industrial plants are testing the applicability 18 Schools" and green army bases. of a manual on preventing accidental releases of hazardous substances. Many of the achievements outlined in this bulletin are attributed to the efforts of former Environment Minister Confronting the Dead Sea Dilemma Shalom Simhon, who stepped down in November 005, A policy document confronts uncertainties in the due to political developments in Israel and the decision future of the Dead Sea in a scenario of continued to hold early general elections. During his service as water decline. Environment Minister, Simhon succeeded in substantially Environmental Units: Serving the Local Population increasing the ministry’s budget which facilitated the With ten new units, municipal environmental units now 6 promotion of a wide range of environmental actions. cover 90% of Israel’s land area. These include: open space preservation; national Soundproofing Schools for a Sound Education cleanliness campaign; reduction of public exposure to Acoustic treatment of schools and kindergartens in the radiation from cellular base stations; and allocation of vicinity of Ben-Gurion Airport. 7 additional funds to the Nature and Parks Authority, to animal welfare projects, to environmental education Base Station Antennas and the Precautionary Principle and to a host of other environmental projects on the Government approves recommendations of a committee on the siting and licensing of cellular 8 local level. antennas. Hopefully, in the words of Mr. Shalom Simhon during his farewell message, the Ministry of the Environment will Green all Over: From Kindergarten to University continue to play a major role in "shaping the image of the The "Green School" project expands to community centers, State of Israel in subjects which are vital for its future." kindergartens and college campuses. 30 In January 006, the government appointed Minister of Greening the Israel Defense Forces Presentation of environmental awards to army units, soldiers Internal Security Gideon Ezra to serve as Minister of the and commanders for environmental projects. 3 Environment until a new government is formed. To stay updated about environmental developments in Environmental Legislation A new law on non-ionizing radiation, amendments to existing Israel, please visit our English website – laws and new regulations set out to improve the quality of the 34 www.environment.gov.il/english. environment in Israel on all fronts. Shoshana Gabbay Cover photo: Dror Nush, first prize, "IDF and Environment." Editor Back cover photo: Meytal Nissim, third prize, "IDF and the Environment." Photos: Ministry of the Environment, Israel Airports Authority, Israel Defense Forces, Friends of the Earth Middle East, Alon Karmiel School, Haifa Chemicals, Ronen Alkalay, Gidi Bettelheim, Galia Ben-Shoham, Michal Ben-Shushan, Lior Elovitch, Alex Kaplan, Ilan Malester, Eli Raz, Chagai Shyowitz, Roi Simcha, Alex Weinreb, Keren Mizrachi, Dalit Ehrlich, Medvey Feldman, Judy Elispor Production: Publications and Information Unit Ministry of the Environment 005 AT A GLANCE What happened in 005? The latest data on million Bottle Collection under the Deposit Law (millions of bottles) 400 the environment in Israel! 350 328 337 W 300 295 250 200 184 150 100 50 1.4 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 tons Distribution of Hazardous Waste in Israel Treating municipal, industrial and agricultural 350,000 waste 300,000 • Two sites for crushing and recycling construction 250,000 and demolition waste began to operate. 200,000 • Some 337 million bottles and cans (under 1.5 liters) were collected under the Deposit Law 150,000 for Beverage Containers - 10% more than in 100,000 004. 50,000 • Schoolchildren collected more than one million 0 cans and bottles for recycling under the Deposit 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 treatment outside Ramat Hovav export disposal to Ramat Hovav Law. • A used tire recycling bill passed its first reading in the Knesset. • The Environment Ministry allocated one million Hazardous Waste Treatment (2004) export shekels to industrial plants for minimizing use as fuel 4% hazardous waste and toxicity at source. 4% recovery Since initiation in 1999, 33 projects have been 23% implemented. • Out of some 340,000 tons of hazardous waste produced in 004, nearly 103,000 tons were disposal disposed to the Ramat Hovav national treatment 69% site – about 30%. A similar quantity reached Ramat Hovav in 005. • The environmental problem solving approach was used to advance projects on used oil Number of Cleanliness Reports collection from garages and waste tire collection by Enforcement Bodies and treatment. 1,235 • A reform package in the dairy sector led to Inspectors environmental improvements in 97% of Israel's 2,480 Green dairy farms. Police • The number of volunteer cleanliness trustees Cleanliness Israel Police Trustees reached 157,497, with 3110 new trustees 9,066 appointed in 005. They issued 61.4% of the 1,984 total number of cleanliness reports under the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law. 3 Cormorants at Achziv. Photo: Gidi Bettelheim Intensive Wastewater Treatment Plants (For Flows Exceeding 0.5 MCM/year) Preventing water pollution and restoring rivers number of treatment plants MCM/year • A government decision called for the removal 40 400 of Eilat's fish cages from the Red Sea within 35 350 three years. 30 300 25 250 • A multi-annual project to keep Israel’s coastline 20 200 clean – "Going for a Clean Coast" - was 15 150 launched. 10 100 • Assessments of pollution in Israel’s major rivers 5 50 revealed a 50%-80% reduction in pollution load 0 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 between the years 1994 and 003. Number of Wastewater Treatment Plants Million cubic meters/year • Israel ratified the amendment to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of tons/year Annual Pollution Load in Major Israeli Streams the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution. 25000 22904 • Water quality continued to improve in the 20000 Kishon River as major industrial plants complied with stringent discharge permits. 15000 • Discharge of wastewater from Nahariya 11559 10318 10000 9056 into the sea stopped, eliminating one of the 6607 6531 two remaining sources of municipal sewage 5212 5000 4775 4295 2683 2284 discharge into the Mediterranean Sea. 1072 0 • The government adopted the recommenda- T. Organic Carbon Total Nitrogen Total Phosphorus 1994 2000 2001 2003 tions of the Inbar Committee on upgraded effluent quality standards for unrestricted index Clean Coast Index 2005 - Acre irrigation and discharge to rivers. 30 • The Ashkelon Desalination Plant, the largest of 25 Extremely its kind in the world, began initial production Dirty 20 in August 005. It is expected to produce an annual 100 million cubic meters of water. 15 Dirty 10 Moderate 5 Clean Very Clean 0 28/5/05 17/7/05 5/9/05 25/10/05 14/12/05 date Jordan River. Photo: Friends of the Earth Middle East 4 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 30 NOx Annual Averages and Exceedances of the Half-Hour Standard in the Klal Jerusalem Transportation Station Annual Average (ppb) and no. of exceedances 1000 Reducing air pollution from transportation 928 900 834 and industrial sources 800 700 • A statistical analysis confirmed reductions in 600 sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon 500 400 dioxide in the years 1999-004. 300 261 284 227 179 190 200 151 136 • According to preliminary data, air quality 107 93 100 79 0 in several Israel cities improved in 005 Annual Averages No. of Exceedances of the Half-Hour Standard compared to 004. 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 • Mayors of local authorities in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area signed a covenant for reducing air pollution. ppm Reduction in Sulfur Content in Diesel • The Public Utility Authority (PUA) – Electricity 2500 2000 began paying premiums to ten private 2000 electricity producers using renewable 1500 energy technologies based on the estimated costs of pollution prevention 1000 500 500 per ton of emissions. 350 50 10 • Updated personal decrees for air pollution 0 reduction, based on TA-Luft 00, were 1994 1999 Sept. 2000 Jan. 2004 April 2006 prepared for major industrial plants in Haifa Bay. • An air quality management system, based Pollutant Emissions from the Eshkol Power Plant in Ashdod on emission data from all pollution sources tons/year 35,000 in the country, neared completion. 1,161 30,000 • The Ashdod power plant operated on 748 25,000 12,696 natural gas, bringing about significant 674 20,000 9,286 reductions in pollution emissions. 5,039 15,000 • The highest court fine for air pollution in 340 10,000 18,824 16,167 15,077 4,277 Haifa Bay – 1.6 million shekels – was imposed 5,000 5,074 on the Oil Refineries Company, in January 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 006. Sulfur Dioxide Emissions (tons) Nitrogen Oxides Emissions (tons) Particulate Emissions (tons) Courtesy: Israel Electric Corporation Photo: Chagai Shyowitz Treating life-threatening hotspots • Industrial plants in the Ramat Hovav industrial park began to establish in-house effluent pretreatment facilities in accordance with a government decision.